Rocky Beginnings
by wrenegade
Summary: Jasper Whitlock, vampire, survivor of the southern vampire wars, member of the Cullen clan is bored. he needs a change and leaves the family to go find himself. What he finds instead will turn the Cullens' world upside down. For the better of course. AU vampires and humans and something else JasperxOC, EdwardxBella, and AlicexOC. Rated for language and lemons
1. Chapter 1

I'm re-posting my Twilight stories. I had taken them down for personal reasons, but have been convinced to put them back up. This story is complete, so I'll post the chapters as quickly as ze interwebz will allow.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 1

_Knock, knock, knock._ Like clockwork, every Thursday 8pm just as the sun disappears behind the house, they arrive. It's been this way for the better part of five years now, ever since they learned about my extra abilities. They can stay in the same area and not have to worry about affecting the population and bringing the Volturi down on them. And if alert the Volturi, then I'll bring them on myself, and that is the absolute last thing I want. My only choice is to live this existence, letting them take from me on a weekly basis, and trying to live a normal life on the days in between.

I walk over to the door to greet them. Their leader, Travis, smiles wryly at me as he enters the foyer. "Greetings Opal," he says with fake warmth. "How are you this fine evening?"

"Fine, thank you," I reply curtly. Why does he always insist on this charade of manners and chivalry? "Come in, everyone." They all file in behind him, creating a poor rendition of a conga line. More like the line at the cafeteria and I'm the meal on special. I stifle a sigh at taking in their ravenous faces. One would think they'd tire of the taste of my blood, but that doesn't seem to happen.

I take my seat on the recliner at the other end of the room, extending the foot rest and placing my hands, wrists up on either arm rest. I've learned this is the easiest position for me to sit in while they feed. All of them can latch on to me at the same time, rather than taking turns, prolonging the hell.

As I lay myself out in the recliner, they all take their stances at the pre-assigned spots. Travis always gets what he calls the "sweet spot" right where my neck meets my shoulder. His mate Aneisha on the other side, with her sister Janeisha at my elbow. They're twin sisters, why anyone would name their twin children so similarly is beyond me. Janeisha's flavor of the month is at my other elbow; I never bothered to learn his name. She'll likely destroy him in a day or two; I can already tell he's beginning to annoy her.

Travis' best friends Mark and Jason take my wrists while their mates Cameron and Addison are at my ankles. Each at a major artery. My only stipulation in this arrangement is that none of them venture anywhere near my femoral artery. Much too intimate for such an event. I tried to get them to leave my neck alone, but then they came with the threats to drag me to Italy and hand me over to the Volturi. That is an existence that I never ever want to endure. Anything I've been through thus far would have been a cake walk compared to what I've heard the Volturi does to Silverbloods.

Once they're all in position, Travis takes the lead, sinking his razor sharp teeth into my flesh like a hot knife through butter. I can feel my blood seeping out of the wound he's created.

The rest follow suit and break my flesh with their dagger-like teeth, sucking long pulls of my life fluid through the veins. I take a deep breath, willing the bits of my soul that escape each time to come back to me. I'm thankful that I no longer feel the pain associated with each bite, but the emotional pain is always there. It's an odd feeling, having the blood sucked out of your veins while you're completely conscious and aware. I can feel the blood leaving my body, being replenished as soon as it's lost. I always throw my mind into happier times when this happens, helps to lessen the burn in my heart. Happier times before I knew any of what I know now.

_He wrapped me in his arms and held me tightly, crushing me to him. I breathed in his masculine scent, a mix of bonfires, sweet tea, and sunshine. A scent that would be forever burned in my nose to remind me of him. As he pressed his lips to mine, my fingers fisted in his hair, memorizing the feel of his golden locks running through my fingers. It seemed as though he was doing the same to mine, his long, leathered fingers combing through my curls. _

_My lips lingered on his a long time. Much longer than was deemed appropriate for two unmarried young adults, but he was leaving for a long time, I had to make this kiss last. His nose nuzzled against my neck as he took in my scent, which he always said smelled of lilac, sweet cream and fresh cornbread._

_"__My sweet Opal," he cooed. "I shall miss you so, my love."_

_"__I love you," I said to him. "Please don't forget me," I added as I placed an opal stone in his hand, which he placed in his left breast pocket, right over his heart._

_"__I love you, and I will return to you if it's the last thing I do," my true love whispered in my ear just before he placed a leather string around my neck that held a stone pendant on it. So we could remember each other. His fingers stroked my cheek before he leaned in for one last chaste kiss. I wrapped my fingers around the pendant as he mounted his horse. He rode away towards the horizon, disappearing after a few minutes. I lingered long after, hoping somehow he'd change his mind and come back to me. _

_That was the last time I saw him. When his orders were to end, we were to be married. I waited for days and days for his return, sitting by the window, waiting for a letter to let me know he was soon to come back to me. No letter ever came. He never returned. His body was never brought to us, and no general ever came to our door to say he'd been reported dead. He simply disappeared. Vanished into thin air._

I open my eyes, fighting back the tears of having lost my love so long ago. Travis is the first to finish feeding, his eyes now bright red, his body brimming with my blood, the dark shadows under his eyes now lightened slightly from having just fed, and an ever so slight flush to his cheeks. The others pull away shortly after, marveling at the way my skin knits itself back together without the assistance of their venom to seal it. It always leaves a scar though. Countless crescent shaped scars mar my ivory flesh, and it has been that way for nearly 150 years.

"Thank you for a lovely evening, Opal. It's been an immense pleasure. As always," he says with fake gratitude. He and I both know that if I didn't let him do it willingly, he'd come in here by force. And if I try to leave or run away, he'll track me down and lock me up or bring me to Italy. I have no choice but to let it happen… week after week, month after month, year after year. At least until the neighbors start to notice that neither I nor my visitors ever seem to age. Then I'll have to move on to a few towns over where no one knows my face or name. Travis and his minions will follow; that much is certain.

Travis is greedy enough that while he knows there's no end to the blood supply in my veins, he does not want to share me with anyone that he's not closely associated with. Anyone that lets it leak that I'm a Silverblood is promptly destroyed, along with anyone they told, ensuring that only he and his closest "friends" know of my existence. Additionally, he's under the impression that my blood makes him stronger than any normal human's blood would. This would be true were I _his_ Silverblood. But that is not the case; my blood was not made to alter him on _that_ scale.

Janeisha's man toy, as she refers to him is the one exception to Travis' rules. Only because Aneisha mandates it, and being his mate, Aneisha always gets what she wants. With a wink from the man toy, they all nod their thanks and head out the door, leaving as quickly as they arrived, leaving me to my empty house.

One of the perks of being immortal is the acquisition of valuable items. Many museums and collectors around the world would kill for some of the things I have. It has become my ritual once Travis and his lot leave to enter my private room and reminisce of times when I used to be a normal human. Before I learned I was a Silverblood.

I first replace the stone pendant around my neck that my fiancé gave me so many years ago. As personal as it is, I don't want to risk Travis asking about it or destroying it, so I always remove it before they arrive, placing it safely in a box in the antique desk that I recovered from my family's home long after they all died. I pull out the old photo album and sink into my father's old wingback chair and lose myself in my memories.

Jasper PoV

Everyone is mated. Everyone but me. They all have their true loves, their one and only. Absorbing all the emotions in the house is anything but comforting. Especially when Edward and Alice mated with Bella and Beck. That was a chapter of our lives that I shall never ever forget, so long as I exist. As I pack up my things, ready to be on my own for a while, I reminisce about the days when Bella and Beck entered our lives, changing us all irrevocably.

_Edward met Bella one fateful day in Biology class when we lived in Forks Washington. We were masquerading as high school students while Carlisle worked as a doctor at the local hospital. Bella and her twin sister Rebecca, better known as Beck, moved there to live with their father when their mother passed away. Their father was police chief, and it was no small secret that they were coming to town. Everyone was anticipating their arrival, especially Alice. Though she had no idea what their appearance in town would do to our family. _

_Edward narrowly missed killing Bella that day as her blood sang to him like no other ever had before. He left the school and ran to Alaska to escape the allure she posed. He didn't return for an entire month. It was much the same with Alice, meeting Beck during an English class. She missed the vision of Edward nearly attacking Bella as she was experiencing her own vision of nearly attacking Beck. She fled to Alaska right along with Edward, to escape the torment that was Beck's scent. _

_Meanwhile I was bombarded with more bloodlust than I'd ever felt in all my life, even during the bloodbath known as the Southern Vampire Wars. Bella and Beck appealed to Edward and Alice unlike any other humans ever had. I knew Edward hadn't tasted blood in nearly nine decades. Alice's record wasn't quite as clean, but not far off._

_When Edward and Alice returned from Alaska, things were tense at best. Bella and Beck were confused about my siblings' disappearance, Edward learned he couldn't read either of their minds, and Alice had more visions involving those twins that even she could keep track of. Every day it seemed, one of them was doomed to die by some means. Whether it be by being drained by Edward or Alice, by some catastrophic accident, or even by another vampire who happened across their trail._

_Those two sisters were magnets for trouble that would invariably find them at every turn. I swear Edward and Alice spent more time trying to keep them alive than anything else. More vampires traveled through the pacific northwest than they ever had in all of history, it seemed; and every time one of them did either Bella or Beck was right in their path, tempting them with her too sweet blood._

_Carlisle was the most curious about the situation, as Bella appeared to be Edward's "singer," and Beck was Alice's. Though Edward didn't have anywhere near as strong a pull to Beck's scent nor Alice with Bella's. It was a conundrum. They both smelled exactly the same to me, as well as to the rest of the family. The only difference any of us could discern was that they used different scents of shampoo. Otherwise it was hard for even a vampire, with their heightened senses to tell them apart at first._

_After many peaks and valleys, it was discovered that Edward and Bella were made for each other, as well as Alice and Beck. They made it past so many obstacles and came out on the other end more in love than I'd ever seen any mated pairs in my existence. Shortly after this discovery was made I, bade my leave. At least for a while. I had to be alone with my own emotions and not constantly bombarded with the love that was seeping through the doors, walls and windows of the Cullen home._

"Please don't leave us," Esme begs as I put my last suitcase in the car.

"I'll be back, mother," I promise. "I just need some time to myself." She pulls me in for a fierce hug that would crush any human. I return her embrace with fervor and see that the rest of the family has filed out of the house to wish me well. None of them want me to go, Bella and Beck are blaming themselves. "It's not your fault," I say pulling both human girls to me for a gentle embrace. "I'm just done being the odd man out," I whisper.

"Then go out and find your mate, Jasper, and bring him or her home," Alice calls as she launches herself into my arms. She and I have always had a special bond. I have her to thank for bringing me to this family, and into this life. I will owe her for the rest of my existence. "You don't owe me anything," she says, as if she's reading my mind. Perhaps she saw my decision to get her an extravagant gift, and surmised my reasoning behind it.

Everyone hugs me fiercely, demanding that I return to them soon. Even Rosalie, who I know that beneath the icy exterior has a very warm heart. I say goodbye once again and drive away, leaving all the love behind, hoping in the deepest pits of whatever was left of my soul that I would find love, too. That I even deserved to find it.

Thoughts of my family run through my mind as I wander aimlessly around the country. Every few days I move on to a different town, seeing the people, observing the way they live, and trying not to eat them. I never thought keeping up my vegetarian diet would be this difficult away from the Cullens. It turns out having them around to ground me keeps me from relapsing. Every day that goes by gets harder and harder to resist. I'm like an alcoholic trapped in a room with hundreds of bottles of the best liquor. I want to resist but I know that my will power is crumbling each day. Regardless of whether or not I've just hunted, the draw is the same.

I steer clear of Texas, not wanting a run in with Maria if I can help it. Part of me wants to visit my family's home, but Maria knows all too well that I would love to do that. She probably has scouts in the area who know my description and would report to her immediately if I were to make an appearance. She'd send them after me and drag me back to her, to be her minion once again. At this point, with the state that I'm in, I'd be less able to resist her charms and promises of all the blood I could ever want.

One day, on a particularly bad day for me trying to resist, I happen upon a trail of vampires. At least six of them have been in this area for quite some time. Their scents are all over the town. It's a rather small town in Ohio, so how a coven this large is able to live here and not damage the population confounds me. Unless of course they're like me! Errr, like the Cullens that is. The Cullens are so much better than I in every way; they would never be struggling to maintain their lifestyle the way I always seem to. But if this coven is also a vegetarian coven, perhaps I won't have to worry about relapsing after all. Hunting with someone else is always much more fun than hunting alone. I decide to seek out this coven and find out more about them.

The number one rule is to never seem aggressive, the last thing I need is half a dozen vampires against me. Not that I couldn't handle it; I just purely don't want any negative emotions around me, if I can help it. The sun makes a brief appearance late afternoon, confining me to my vehicle. I drive around with the window cracked ever so slightly, trying to track the scent of these vampires.

Once night falls, I park the car and venture out onto the streets, intent on finding one of these other vampires, so that I may learn of their ways. I don't have to wait long. "Hey there handsome," a female greets from behind me. "What brings you to our sleepy little town," she asks. I can feel the waves of lust pouring off of her, making it actually rather hard for me to think of anything else except throwing her down in this alleyway and having my wicked way with her. I've been celibate since 1947, cut me a break, I'm only a male.

"Curiosity," I answer her as I turn to look her in the eye. Her eyes are red. She must not be part of this coven, but just passing through as I am. There's no way a coven of human hunters could live in this town for more than 1 day and not call attention to themselves and bring the Volturi down upon them.

She has long black hair in braids, pulled back with a piece of leather on the nape of her neck.

"My name's Janeisha," she says, extending her hand in greeting. "Who might you be?"

"The name's Jasper, ma'am," I reply taking her hand in mine and raising it to my lips for a chaste kiss against her smooth marble flesh. Her scent isn't altogether unappealing, but she holds no draw for me other than the lust that she's radiating for me.

"Such a gentleman!" she marvels. "Jasper, what a lovely name." She intertwines her fingers with mine. I'm too much of a gentleman to remove my hand from hers, but this is far too intimate for me.

"Would you like to come with me for a bite?" she asks, seeing my black eyes, knowing it's been a while since I've had any nourishment. At this moment I feel my will power crumble. She's thirsty, very thirsty. As am I. She wants me more than anything, and I follow her like the weakling I am. So much for resisting.

Janeisha leads me to a house where there are 6 other vampires waiting on the porch. Inside I can tell there is one human pacing about the house, as if there is no danger on the other side of the door. "Jasper, meet my sister, Aneisha and her mate Travis." I look over to see Janeisha's double standing next to a rather gangly male. Another set of twins, excellent. As if I need another reminder of what I left behind in Forks.

I reach across the space and clasp their hands in greeting. While all of these vampires have red eyes, they don't seem nearly as savage as so many others I've met. Janeisha introduces me to the rest of the group, but I pay them little mind. I can tell they're just along for the ride. "Jasper, I'm sure you're curious as to how so many of us can be in this tiny town without drawing attention to ourselves," Travis states. I've discerned that he is the leader of this unorthodox coven.

"The question crossed my mind," I admit.

"Allow me to introduce you to our Silverblood," he says as he strolls up to the door of this house and knocks. A young woman opens the door and motions for us all to go inside. She is not afraid; even humans who don't know what we are should be instinctively terrified. Especially when these vampires have done nothing to mask what they are, not even colored contacts. And what in the world is a Silverblood?

As we walk in the door I see the young woman standing near a reclining leather chair. It looks as though she is about to sit in it when her gaze locks on me. I take in her scent, which is simply divine, yet somehow familiar. She smells of sweet cream, lilac and fresh cornbread. It reminds me of home in Texas. She gasps loudly staring at me as if she's seen a ghost. I'm a new face, she must not have been expecting this coven to bring a stranger along with them. I detect a hint of recognition coming from her, though I don't recall ever laying eyes on her before this moment. "Jasper," she whispers before she faints and slumps into the chair, unconscious.

Opal PoV

Thursday night again, has a week really gone by already? I know time passes quickly for an immortal, but it literally feels like they were just here yesterday. I can hear them congregating outside, it sounds like Janeisha got rid of the man she had last week and already has come across a new one. I swear that woman goes through men faster than I go through a gallon of milk. Won't be long now until this one is destroyed like the rest. She has no intention of ever mating. For all I know she's already found her mate, long ago, and now knows she can never truly love again. Aneisha tried to tell me once, but I didn't care enough to pay close attention to her words.

Travis enters the room once I open the door, the rest of them filing in behind him, as per usual. I head over to my recliner getting ready to take my seat, when a distinctly familiar scent hits my nose. Bonfires, sweet tea and sunshine. I whip around to find the source when my eyes fall upon a face I haven't seen in over 150 years. Same head of golden locks, even more lustrous now that the venom has altered them. A porcelain face, that still holds all the masculinity and beauty it held so long ago. And a pair of golden eyes. Before I can ponder what that means, my knees buckle and I feel my consciousness slip away. "Jasper," I whisper as the blackness takes over.


	2. Chapter 2

The usual warning applies SM owns all things twilight, all things Opal are mine. Warning for language and content.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 2

Jasper PoV

She said my name. She knows me?! "How do you know Opal, Jasper?" Janeisha asks, her hand wrapping around my shoulders affectionately. I try to shake her off, but she's too persistent.

"I have no idea. I don't recognize her," I lie. I recognize her scent, or rather it is very familiar to me, but I cannot place it. Her face does not seem familiar, but as I stare at her, something is ticking at the back of my mind. Somewhere, at some point, I met this woman. How I wish I could place it. I have a brief flash of auburn hair of her exact shade blowing in the breeze, my fingers combing through it.

"Well she had a rather… dramatic life before we found her, so it's possible that you may not remember her," Aneisha pipes in. Sorrow and sympathy are rolling off of her in waves as she gazes at the unconscious girl in the chair. What is really going on here? As I look back at the human, I notice that her neck arms and legs are literally riddled with scars. Scars that rival mine. How can a human have so many venom scars but not be dead or one of us?

"None of this matters one bit," Travis snaps. "C'mon everyone. I'm thirsty!" He picks Opal's body up and roughly throws it back onto the chair in a different position. He turns her head slightly and sinks his teeth into her neck. The scent of her blood assaults me immediately. I brace myself against the door frame while everyone else in the room, moves simultaneously towards the poor girl, each picking their own spot on her body to bite. What is going on here?

A few minutes later, they finish, all of them seeming to have had their fill, as their eyes are all a brilliant crimson again. Janeisha saunters up to me, "Aren't you thirsty, handsome?" she coos, caressing the skin below my now black eyes.

"How is she not dead?" I ask, bewildered, seeing the young girl apparently sleeping on the chair. The bite wounds have sealed shut, without the help of one of the vampires sealing them with venom.

"She's a Silverblood," Travis explains. I give him a questioning look. "She's an immortal human." As if that answers the question any better. "Her existence is to sustain vampires without harming the human population. Vampires can feed from a Silverblood, for as long as they want, and the blood supply will never diminish. It is said that in times of great population decline, when death is at everyone's door, such as the Plague in Europe, Silverbloods emerge so that the vampire race can continue on. All of the Volturi, their guard and a handful of covens in Europe sustained on three Silverbloods during that plague. Or so the legends say."

I'm standing there completely shell shocked. How had I never heard of this before?

"So, how long have you been feeding from her?" I ask, thinking it could be decades, centuries, even.

"A few years now," Aneisha replies, much to Travis' dismay. She sticks her tongue out at him and continues. "We fought and destroyed another coven for her." Once again I was completely flabbergasted. Part of the draw of hunting humans, for most vampires that is, is feeling their fear before you kill them. Many vampires live for the chase, choosing to be rather sadistic like that James character who went after Bella and Beck a year ago.

This would completely negate that. Hell, the woman was completely unconscious while they all fed from her. How she didn't wake up from feeling the pain of not only having her skin ripped open, but from the venom, is a mystery to me. I know fully well how much that hurts, a thousand times over. "So you just show up here, whenever you're thirsty and she just lets you drink from her?"

"Well yeah, that's what she was made for. We know it. She knows it," Travis explains nonchalantly.

"You sure you don't want some, handsome?" Janeisha asks, trying to drag me to Opal's sleeping form.

"No thank you," I reply curtly. "I prefer much more of a challenge than that." I decide to leave out that by _challenge_ I mean an angry bobcat or ornery black bear. "If you'll excuse me," I say as I wrench my arm out of Janeisha's grasp roughly and dart out of the door. Night has fully fallen now, and there's not a human in sight to see me run at full speed. I take to the roof tops to confuse my trail, should Janeisha, Travis, or any of their cohorts decide to follow me.

What a miserable existence for that poor woman. I can't even imagine living my life day to day waiting for the next time the vampires show up to suck out my life fluid. I'm sure she feels like her life has no purpose, that this is her lot in life. Travis made it seem like she knew that was the reason she existed, like she never questioned it or tried to rebel against it. How long has she been going through this? How many decades? How many covens of vampires has she been passed through, traded for, fought for?

I decide to make it my mission to help this girl. She at least has to know there's another option for her. She doesn't have to live this miserable existence of being a vampire's meal ticket. Once I return to my hovel of a hotel room, I decide to call Esme. She'll understand if no one else will. She answers on the 3rd ring.

"Jasper?" she breathes, sounding relieved.

"Hello, Mother," I reply. "How are things?"

"Oh, we're getting along I suppose," she says, laying the guilt on a little thick, in my opinion. She's not even in my range, and I can feel it. "We all miss you terribly."

"I know, and I'm sorry. Look, I think I might be coming back home sooner than I thought—" the squeal on the other end cuts me off before I can finish.

"That's wonderful, Jasper! Everyone will be so excited!" she yells.

"I think I might need your help though," I say. She asks why and I tell her the story of this young girl. I leave out the fact that she knows my name and that I recognize her scent somehow. She puts Carlisle on the phone to discuss the logistics and the plans. "Carlisle, have you ever heard of a Silverblood?" I ask.

"Only once, when I overheard Aro discussing the black plague one time. He said he missed the Silverbloods. Though I never asked him what that meant. You say this girl is immortal and has an infinite blood supply?" he asks.

"Apparently. I mean, I watched seven vampires feed from her simultaneously. They were all full and completely sated when they finished. It's like her body replenishes her blood as soon as its lost. This sounds like an x-men thing, it's crazy."

"Now you sound like Emmett," he jokes. I chuckle half-heartedly. "But you want to rescue her?" he asks. I hum my agreement. "That's very noble of you, son," he says proudly. "We would be glad to help you. Tell me though, do you think rescuing her will mean a fight with this other coven?"

"Well I'm hoping I can visit her during the day, and convince her to come away with me, after telling her about the alternate lifestyle. If I can safely get her away undetected, I think we can avoid a confrontation, but that's why I'm calling you. In case I need a plan B… or plan E, known as Emmett." Carlisle snickers lightly at my mention of a plan E.

"We'll gather the troops then. The Denali Clan is on their way, they should be here within the hour, actually. I'm sure we can consign their assistance as well. Power in numbers, and so forth," Carlisle states. I nearly jump for joy. I couldn't have planned this with better timing. "Alice says she can't see the girl at all, she can see you ask her, but can't see her decision. Maybe her immortality blocks Alice's gift some how," he muses. I can already tell that Carlisle is entering into scientist mode.

"Thank you, Carlisle. For everything," I say to bring him back to the task at hand.

"I may not have been your sire, Jasper, but you are my son. In every way that matters, you understand that, right? We're family, and we do everything we can to help and support each other."

"I understand, and I'm ready to come home, and we may have a new family member, if all goes as planned."

"That's wonderful," he replies. I can hear Esme squealing in happiness in the background. Alice is most likely bouncing in her chair while Beck tries to calm her.

I hang up the phone with them, with plans to have them hang on the outskirts of the town, down wind, so as not to attract the attention of the coven that resides here. I am hoping that I can get Opal out of there without having to fight them, but need the back up in case it comes to that. They can arrive within 45 seconds if that is the case. Carlisle informed me that Esme will be staying home with Bella and Beck. Having two more fragile humans in the mix would be less than unhelpful. I'm sure Bella threw a hissy fit about that, saying that if Edward would just change her already, she could help. He likely had to explain, yet again, that being a newborn would not be helpful.

It's Sunday, and all of Opal's neighbors have left for church, making it easier for me to approach her house undetected. I step up onto the porch and listen carefully. The sound of light humming is coming from where I gather is the kitchen. Knocking lightly, I wait for her to come to the door. My knock startles her a little, and I feel confusion coming from her. She must be wondering who in the world would be visiting her at this time of day. The faucet turns on and she rinses whatever she was cooking with off of her hands and calls out that she'll just be a moment.

I hear her soft footfalls as she approaches, nearly inhumanly graceful, I notice. She opens the door and stares at me, her face full of shock. "Jasper?"

"Yes, that's my name," I reply. "Do I know you?" I ask. Her face falls immediately, I can feel her anguish and disappointment; it nearly brings me to my knees.

"I guess not," she sniffles. "Not anymore." She opens the door further to invite me in and saunters over to her recliner. I see her lay back and turn up her wrist. I stay, stock still in the threshold, watching her with shock. After a few moments she looks up at me. "Isn't this why you're here? You didn't get enough the other night?" Her tone is as if she was the host of a dinner party and one of her guests didn't have enough to eat.

"That's not at all why I'm here, Opal. And I didn't drink from you the other night."

"You didn't?" she asks, completely flummoxed.

"No. How could I after you so clearly knew my name?" I ask, softly. "Besides, I haven't tasted human blood in nearly fifty years." She stares at me as if I've sprouted a second head. Shock is an emotion I'm quite familiar with around her, now. "Allow me to explain?" I ask as I reach out for her hand. She takes it, hesitating slightly before allowing me to lead her to the sofa. I'd rather not be anywhere near that blasted recliner where she lets vampires feed from her willingly. I decide to put away our conversation about how she knows me for another time. I have a feeling It's going to be a rather lengthy one, and I haven't the time for that now.

"About sixty years ago, I left my rather dramatic existence with a spritely vampire named Alice," I start. Opal's disappointment flares, and sadness takes over as her main emotion. Curious, that. "She told me about a coven she knew of that lived a different lifestyle. I followed her to Montana where we met this coven of vampires that does not feed on humans. Their leader, Carlisle, discovered that vampires can survive on the blood of animals. Eager to stop hurting humans, I joined their coven, or family rather, and began attempting to switch my eating habits. It was a struggle for a long while, but after about ten years, I got the hang of it, and have rarely slipped up since."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Opal asks, trying to pull her hand out of mine. I grip her hand tighter, careful not to harm her.

"Because I can feel your emotions, Opal. I know exactly how unhappy you are with this life. I'm here to help you, offer you the opportunity for a new life."

"Travis will kill you," she replies.

"Darlin' I have a group of ten vampires, several of them with formidable gifts at the ready, should it come to that."

"Really?" she asks. "Why would you do this? You don't even rem-know me," she says. She almost said remember. I must have met her at some point.

"To be honest, Opal, I haven't the slightest idea. I saw first hand what those monsters do to you, they said the come here every week and take from you. That it's what you were made for, why you exist, to feed vampires." She nods her agreement with that statement.

"Sweetheart, if vampires can live off of animals, then that tells you right there that there is another option for you. You don't have to live your life being a vampire's next meal. I understand you're immortal, but that doesn't mean you can't be happy. My family has already agreed to take you in, under our wing as a new member of our family. You deserve so much more than this, Opal. Won't you come with me?"

I wait a few minutes while she considers my offer. I can't imagine her saying no.

"What if Travis finds out?" she whispers.

"If he does, we'll take care of it," I promise. To prove myself to her, I push the sleeve of my shirt back to show her my scars. "I've met my share of aggressive vampires, and everyone of them met their end." She tentatively reaches out to trace one of the scars at my wrist.

"I trust you Jasper," she whispers so quietly that had I not been a vampire, I wouldn't have heard it. "How long do I have to pack?" she asks.

"How long do you need?"

"Well, the majority of the things I hold dear are in my family home back in… back in my home town, but I have a couple trunks full of things here that I'd like to keep. Otherwise, I have no problem starting fresh with everything else," she says, gesturing to the furniture around the room. I take note of her disdain towards the recliner in the corner. She clearly does not want to take that thing with under any circumstances.

"Okay, If I help you pack, we can be out of here within the hour, would you say?"

"Umm, yes, let me just put a few things in the trunk alone, if you don't mind?" I nod my agreement and she races off to a room and closes the door behind her. I listen as she places various things inside what sounds like a leather bound trunk. Esme will have a field day over that antique if it's what I think it is. "Okay, I can use your help now," she calls out of the now open door. I run into the room, not bothering to mask my speed. I figure she's used to it by now.

She has one trunk latched, and one other one that she seems to be filling with paperwork, she indicates the file cabinet on the far side of the room. "I need all the papers and such in that cabinet, if you wouldn't mind. I know you can get them in this trunk a lot faster than I can." I nod at her and quickly start moving everything from the file cabinet into the trunk. She leaves the room to gather a few more things and I take a moment to call Emmett to help carry the trunks. I could easily carry them on my own, but in order to get out of here faster, I'll need to carry her as well. Emmett arrives a minute later, knocking on the door, which startles Opal.

"It's okay, Darlin'. It's just my brother," I reassure. She jogs out of the room she was in and heads towards the front door. Her fear spikes a little as she takes in the hulking form of Emmett, though I imagine it dissipates as soon as she sees his dimply grin.

"Hiya new little sis! I'm Emmett!" he greets, picking her up and twirling her around in a very Emmett like fashion. Confusion is the main emotion she's feeling at the moment, but with an underlying tone of happiness, which makes me smile. Emmett comes in the room I'm in and puts a trunk up on each shoulder. "Luckily the neighbors are all still gone, so we should be fine until we get to the family, and won't have to keep up human appearances," Emmett explains.

"It's a good think you picked a house that borders the forest, Darlin'," I say to Opal. She smiles and blushes in return, with still a hint of sadness in her emotions. I kneel down in front of her, gesturing for her to climb on my back. She hesitates for a moment before wrapping her arms around my shoulders and then her legs around my waist as I lift her off the ground. Emmett leads the way back to the family as I wasn't exactly sure where they had been hiding, waiting for my signal.

Once we're there, I set Opal down gently and watch as she takes in the sheer size of the two covens that make up our family. "Why do you all have gold eyes?" she asks.

"Hello, Opal," Carlisle greets, walking towards her slowly. "I'm Carlisle Cullen, the leader of this family. Eleazer here is the leader of the Denali Family," he explains gesturing to the two different groups of us, with Eleazer stepping forward to greet Opal. "Our eyes are golden because we do not feed from humans, but rather animals."

"Jasper mentioned that," she says. "It's lovely to meet all of you. I am very excited to make your acquaintances and get to know you all." She speaks like a southern debutant. Perhaps she was at some point in her life. I have yet to ask how old she is. Eleazer gestures that we should be on our way before we attract any attention to ourselves. We all pile into various cars. I sacrificed mine, leaving it behind in the off chance that Travis' coven would figure out where I was holed up and follow my car's scent or something.

Opal PoV

Carlisle introduces me to the rest of the vampires standing with him. Alice seems like she's an awful lot to handle with how tiny she is. Edward's calm demeanor evens her out and makes me wonder if they're mates, or if Alice really is with Jasper. Emmett's mate, Rosalie, is without a doubt the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and that's saying something considering who I've met in my time. The only problem with Rosalie is that she seems to be well aware of how gorgeous she is. All vampires are attractive, but she is at the top of the list. Right up there with Jasper.

I realize he's still standing next to me; I grab his hand to help convey my nervousness. I hope he doesn't make me ride in a different car than him. He pulls me into his side and rests his chin on the top of my head. I didn't remember him being so tall, but the venom could have stretched him out slightly. Goodness knows Emmett couldn't have been that monstrous as a human. He's got to be related to sasquatch or something.

Soon after the introductions are over, we all pile into several vehicles. I follow Jasper to a silver Volvo in which he pulls me into the back seat, next to him. I immediately snuggle up to his side and feel safer. Even though the behemoth Emmett is in the front seat, and the quiet one Edward is driving, I feel completely at ease.

My leg is brushing up against Jasper's, and I feel a jolt of electricity with every movement between us. Something tells me he can feel it too. I see him look up at Edward, who's in the driver's seat and ask him a question, seemingly with his thoughts. Edward's head shakes infinitesimally and I see his lips move slightly. Jasper stiffens at my side at Edward's words.

Rather than push the matter, I turn my head to look out my window. The scenery is flying past much faster than it ought to. "Edward, how fast are you going?" I ask.

"About 110, why? Do you get carsick?"

"No," I laugh. "I've never been sick in my life. Aren't you worried about getting pulled over?" Jasper chuckles at my side, as does Emmett.

"I have a built in radar detector," Edward replies. I stare at him in confusion. "I can read minds, Opal," he says as if he's commenting on the fact that the sky is blue. "I can hear the cops in plenty of time to slow down, long before their radar can detect me."

"Oh," I reply, deciding to leave that mind reading conversation for another time. That must have been the exchange that happened between Edward and Jasper. Jasper must have thought something to Edward, who then responded at vampire pitch so I couldn't hear. I'll definitely have to ask Jasper about that later.

Meanwhile, I have to decide how I'm going to breach the subject of how I know him. It hurt so deeply that he doesn't remember me at all. I know that human memories fade over time, even for me, but my memory of him is as clear as day. Hell, his scent hasn't even changed, just gotten stronger. The more I breathe him in, the more relaxed I become. I'm sure he's wondering why I am so accepting of everything he's told me. In my heart of hearts I know that Jasper would never lie to me. Even though he doesn't remember me, I know that I can always trust him.

"Where exactly are we going?" I ask.

"It's best not to say out loud until we get there," Jasper replies, taking my palm in his hand and writing the letters of the name of the town. Forks, Washington. Well I can't say I'd ever been there, so that's at least a mini adventure, right? "Opal, I'm going to be honest with you when I say I find it odd how easy it was to get you to come with me."

"I trust you," I reply. "You may not remember me, but I certainly remember you, and one thing I know for certain is that you are one of the most trustworthy men on this planet." I leave it at that, giving him a look that says not to press further. Either that or my emotions on the subject shut him right up.

Emmett turns around to gape at me. Apparently Jasper hadn't shared that little tidbit with anyone. "I'm kind of tired," I say before Emmett can ask me any more probing questions. "Would it be alright if I napped a while?"

"Of course, Darlin'. You don't need ta ask for permission. I know I might not be very comfy, but you're welcome ta lean on me." I take that as my cue to unhook my seatbelt, not like I need it anyway, and curl up next to him, my head on his lap. It might not be exactly what he meant, but I've been waiting a century and a half to do this. As I lay there, trying to fall asleep I imagine what this new life will be like. A life where I never have to be bitten or fed from again, a life where I can truly be me, have a family, be happy, maybe even find love with Jasper, if he's not already mated, that is. I met the Alice character he mentioned, but saw no connection between the two other than being members of the same family. But there are a plethora of gorgeous blondes at his disposal, so I don't have my hopes up on that front.

Likely sensing my sadness, Jasper places his hand on my shoulder and rubs soothing circles across it with his cool fingers. It feels heavenly. This may be the first time a vampire has ever touched me and I'm not repulsed or afraid. I curl closer to him, nuzzling his leg with my cheek. He stiffens briefly before relaxing, realizing he's just as content as I am. Sleep claims my consciousness as I revel in the feeling of finally being with Jasper again.

Jasper PoV

As I sit in the car with Opal curled up to me, her head on my lap, I think about the conundrum this has created. Clearly she feels some sort of attachment to me, maybe because I'm the one who saved or her because she knows me from somewhere. I can't deny that I am feeling something as well, though I can't put my finger on it. One would think, being an empath that I would be in tune with my own emotions and know exactly what they all mean, but with this woman, I question everything.

I can't explain the pure unadulterated rage I felt when I learned how she was being treated by those cesspools that call themselves vampires. Not to mention the jealousy when that leech, Travis put his teeth on her neck, such an intimate spot. I can't explain the comfort I feel in having her near me, having her touch me. Nor can I explain the elation I feel when I can sense her relaxation, trust, and utter contentment in being with me as well. Edward is smirking at me through the rearview mirror, while Emmett is chuckling beside him.

"What?" I hiss.

"Looks like you found your mate, dude," Emmett chimes in. "I can't even hear your thoughts or feel your emotions, but I can tell. You've got it bad, bro." Edward nods his agreement, though I know he would have put it much more eloquently.

"I can't her hear, Jasper, but I can hear you. You're questioning the same emotions that I questioned not long after I met Bella." I nod my understanding to Edward. He fought his love for Bella for a long time, worried that she did not belong in our world. Part of him still believes that but he loves her too much to leave her. We all learned that lesson the hard way. Edward and Bella need each other like a fish needs water to live. The same goes for Alice and Beck, though Alice never tried to leave Beck. Willingly anyway.

A few hours later, I can hear Opal's pulse quicken and her breathing pattern changes. She's waking up. "Have a good nap, Darlin'?" I ask.

"Yes, thank you," she replies stretching. "Best sleep I've had in decades."

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around her being immortal. Until now, the only immortals I've ever known have been vampires or werewolves, and the wolves aren't technically immortal, they just stop aging for a while. Eventually, they begin aging again when they stop phasing. As she stretches, the hem of her shirt rises up. I catch a glimpse of her midriff and see that it is just as riddled with venom scars as her arms and neck. What on earth has this poor woman been through?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jasper PoV

Opal comes in and out of her sleep state throughout the entire drive. We stop twice for gas, both times she hops out to use the facilities and get some food. I notice the first time, she tries to pay for her food with a credit card. "Opal," I whisper. "They might be able to track that," I say discreetly so the cashier doesn't make any false assumptions.

"Look at the name on the card, Jasper," she replies. I glance at the card and see that it reads Veronica Franco. "I've had some time on this planet to know how to prepare for such a situation." She pulls out a Montana driver's license with the same name on it. Feeling slightly put in my place and slightly embarrassed, I nod and walk away to apparently help Emmett pump the gas. I should have offered to pay, but instead insinuated that she had no idea how to cover her tracks or eliminate a paper trail.

A few minutes later, she walks out carrying a bag full of food with a hot dog in her other hand. It's covered in goopy looking grossness and cheese that is probably closer to plastic than an actual dairy product. It looks positively repulsive, but she's eyeing it as if it's the most amazing food in the world. "No one ever let me eat this stuff, saying it 'tainted' my flavor. But now it doesn't matter," she exclaims as she dives into to the hot dog, sending the sauce, cheese and onions everywhere. She moans loudly which I feel in my groin. How odd, no woman ever had elicited _that_ reaction before. Certainly not from eating a hot dog. Oh. Phallic shaped food. Right. Well, count on Opal to be the first in that department as well.

"I'm sorry Opal, but you'll have to finish that and anything else remotely as messy before getting back in my car," Edward states. I shoot him a death glare that he cringes from. I can't help feeling a little smug about that.

"Well obviously Edward. I may have been surrounded by neanderthalic vampires for the better part of two centuries but I'm not completely without manners," she retorts. I smile proudly at that statement. Opal has some guts, that's for sure. Wait, did she say better part of two centuries? Goodness, could she be older than me? Older that Carlisle even?

I decide to leave that topic alone until she feels comfortable speaking with all of us as a group. I doubt she'll want to tell her story more than once. We pile back into the car for the next leg of our journey. Rather than taking us up on our offer of checking into a hotel for the evening, Opal merely states she'd like to get home as fast as possible and curls up on my lap to sleep a while.

Eventually, we pull up to the house, Bella and Beck bursting out of the door, having missed their mates like crazy. Opal startles awake when she hears Bella yank open Edward's door and practically leap onto his lap. She glances at me in confusion for a moment while she gets her bearings. She looks out the window to see Alice and Beck in an intimate embrace, sharing intense gazes at each other and a few kisses. Opal turns her gaze back to Edward and Bella, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration.

"Humans?" she asks, looking up at me. I nod and tell her it's a long story.

"A very long story," Emmett agrees as he opens the door for Opal to get out of the car. She takes his outstretched hand and slides out of the car. I feel slightly jealous at their contact but I know he feels nothing but brotherly love for her, so I hold back my growl.

Esme rushes out the door, to greet her new daughter. She breezes past Carlisle's open arms and stops inches in front of Opal before pulling her into her tight embrace. No one gives hugs like Esme does. "Welcome to the family, sweetie," she croons. "I'm Esme."

"I take it you're the matriarch?" Opal asks as Esme finally releases her. Esme nods and giggles softly. "It's lovely to meet you. I can't tell you how excited I am about all this. Well, maybe Jasper can though," she says with a wink in my direction.

"Let me show you to your room," Esme replies, taking Opal's hand and leading her towards the house. Esme and Alice had been on the phone nearly the entire time we were driving home to plan Opal's room. Alice can't see Opal at all, so she couldn't know for sure what she would like, but being a woman, she had some insight to give.

"Opal said she left most of her clothes behind," Alice states. "She's about the same size as Beck, so while I'm ordering new clothes, I'm sure my baby wouldn't mind sharing, would you?" Beck smiles at Alice and agrees to share her clothes. "Bella's would work too, depending on Opal's preferences." Then Alice's eyes widen and glaze over, indicating she's having a vision. Edward is too wrapped up in Bella to be paying attention, so I don't yet know if it's a vision we should concern ourselves with. Maybe Travis was able to track us?

"Oh! She's just in time to go with us to the Forks Halloween costume ball!"

"What Forks Halloween costume ball?" Beck and I chorus in unison. There has never been one in previous years.

"The one we're hosting this year, of course!" Alice exclaims. Beck and I roll our eyes at her before walking away and into the house. "Hey now, don't walk away from me; you know how much I love this stuff!" she calls as we disappear through the door, Alice hot on Beck's heels.

"Alice, I thought you couldn't see Opal," I say as I realize she'd had a vision of Opal attending the costume ball.

"I can't. Well I can't see her decisions, but I can see her in all of our futures. She doesn't make me completely blind the way the wolves do. Her decisions are hidden from me, but decisions involving her are not," she says with a wide grin. Conniving pixie.

Emmett and Rosalie breeze past me, each holding one of Opal's trunks. They head up the stairs, excitement rolling off of them in waves. The curiosity coming from Rosalie is palpable, not only to me.

"She's curious about the immortality thing," Edward says, answering my unspoken question. "You know Rosalie," he whispers so as not to alert her that we're speaking of her. "Anything she can find that has any hope of her changing what happened to her, she'll jump at. I expect her to ask Opal to do all kinds of experiments and will ask her thousands of questions." Alice glances at us and nods her agreement, knowing that Rosalie is about to become obsessed with all things Opal.

Opal PoV

Esme leads me up a grand stair case and down a huge hallway filled with doors. The last door on the left is partially open, and she gestures for me to go in ahead of her. I step in and am immediately taken aback by the beauty in the room. I hardly even notice Emmett and Rosalie bringing my trunks in behind me. The room is painted in a soft lavender color, the carpet an ivory cream. There's a four poster wrought iron bed in the middle with a dark purple canopy that seems to have a draping that could be let down to completely cover the bed in darkness. One wall of the room is all window, and opens out into a balcony. To my left is an open door that leads to a huge bathroom, complete with a Jacuzzi-bathtub and a rain shower. "Is this the master bedroom or something?" I ask.

Esme, Rosalie and Emmett giggle in unison. "No dear," Esme replies. "We are creatures of comfort, and figured you might be, too." This puzzles me. I am used to vampires wearing the same clothing for years, never bathing, let alone having all these lavish things surrounding them. "I imagine you might not be used to this, but we truly are a family, we live as one, we act as one. Drinking from animals helps make us more even keeled and able to convene in large groups without constantly wanting to tear each other to pieces," she explains.

I nod my head in agreement as I continue to gaze around the room. Along one wall is a built in bookshelf filled with volumes of various genres. Shakespeare, encyclopedias, history books, classic novels, and even a few books written in other languages. I've learned to be an avid reader, to have something to pass the time in this immortal life. Something tells me I'm going to have far less time to read with these people. I think that was the first time I'd ever referred to vampires as _people_ in 150 years.

Realizing I've been standing in the same spot completely silent for an awkward amount of time, I turn towards Esme and wrap my arms around her shoulders. "Thank you so much," whisper. "This is absolutely incredible and perfect." I can hear her choking up, her eyes welling with tears that will never fall. Alice bursts in the room at that moment and drags me to the bed, plopping down on the plush violet cover. She prattles on about fashion something or another while my fingers run across the soft duvet. I can't wait to wrap myself in this and sleep tonight. I'll probably sleep well for the first time in a very, very long time.

"Sure Alice, you can take me shopping, but I want to wait a little while and see if Travis and his minions make any moves to come after me."

"I'm already on the lookout for that, sis," she replies. I gawk at her. Sis? Did she just call me sis?

"What do you mean on the look out?" I ask.

"Oh, I have visions of the future," she explains. What is it with the nonchalance in this family? As if it's normal for someone to be able to read minds, or see the future, or have lavish bedrooms that should be featured on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. "It's based on the decisions people make. I see the path they're on while they're on it. If they change their mind, the entire future changes."

"That has to be exhausting," I reply, thinking about trying to keep track of that many paths.

"Oh it is," she retorts. "Come on, I think Jasper is rustling up something for you in the kitchen." I follow her down the stairs and into the enormous kitchen. If there weren't two humans in this house, I would have found this comical. The sight of Jasper covered in cornmeal and egg however, is the most hilarious thing I've ever seen.

"What on earth are you doing?" I ask once I stop laughing.

"Trying to make cornbread," he replies. I move towards him, brushing cornmeal out of his hair, off his face and off his shoulders.

"How did you manage to get this all over you?"

"I was trying to open the package and I forgot my strength and it went everywhere. I also thought the egg shells were harder to crack than they are." I start laughing all over again. "Hey, gimme a break, Darlin'. this is the first time I've ever cooked."

"Obviously," I reply giggling as I try to help get the egg yolks out of his hair. Eventually, with my and Esme's help, we have a tasty batch of corn muffins that Bella, Beck and I dig into with fervor. Esme makes a delicious honey butter that she could make millions on if she sold it at the farmer's market.

"So Opal," Alice says, skipping into the room.

"So, Alice," I reply.

"We're hosting a Halloween costume ball in a couple weeks, and would love for you to join us," she suggests, practically vibrating in her place with excitement.

"What's the theme?" I ask. Her eyes glaze over for a moment, I glance at everyone in panic but am assured that she's just having a vision.

"Apparently all the women are going as southern belles, like from the 1800s or so." I ask her where she was planning to get the dresses and she shrugs in response, which elicits a gasp from half the people in the room.

"Well I might be able to help in that department," I say. "Does anyone have a phone I can borrow?" Jasper whips out his phone and hands it to me. I dial the number and wait for the answer. "Allo, Reynaldo?" I greet, exchanging pleasantries with the Brazilian caretaker at my family home.

"Sou eu, Teresinha. Você pode enviar algums das minhas coisas a mim?" Jasper appears to be practically salivating at my nearly perfect grasp of the Portuguese language. I ask for the Cullen address, and Carlisle provides me with one slightly further away where we can go pick up the items, rather than having them shipped directly to the house. I relay the address to Reynaldo along with the precise items I need sent; he promises to send them first thing in the morning with express shipping.

"The boxes will arrive on Thursday," Alice marvels. "I have no idea what's in them, but I can tell it's going to be amazing!" she yells as she bounces out of the kitchen, Beck following behind her. Jasper is still staring at me in amazement.

"Yes, I speak Portuguese," I quip, ruffling his curls. "Now, does someone want to explain to me how it is possible that two of your kind have mated with humans?"

"Bella and Beck are Edward and Alice's singers," Carlisle explains. I gape at him. "I take it you know of the phenomenon?" I nod my head. How on earth could they be their singers and still be alive? "Edward and Alice as you can presume have remarkable control. While trying to resist the call of their singers' blood, they learned that they were in love with them. They are each other's true mates in every sense of the word. And once they can agree upon a date, they will be changed." I take a moment to let that sink in. It's rather hard to imagine that not one vampire, but two in the same family have resisted their singers. I've never heard of that happening before.

"There may be another option," I state, knowing that suggesting that the two not become immortal would not be a wise choice. If they are true mates, they'll need forever with each other, or the other half of the pairing will never survive.

"What do you mean?"

"Vampirism isn't the only kind of immortality out there. They could be made into Silverbloods like me."

"How?" Edward asks as he bursts into the room. Bella, Alice, and Beck are not far behind him.

"Well, in theory, one could replace their blood with the blood of a Silverblood. Like a major transfusion. With enough immortal blood, their DNA would alter, and then would become immortal like me. Still human, but would stop aging. I've never done it myself, but I've heard of it. I imagine you'd want to perform a few experiments before trying anything dangerous like that. The only drawback other than immortality is that any changes to the body are immediately eradicated as if they are a virus or an infection, so neither of you would be able to have children. Not that you could if you were vampires, but still."

"Children are not viruses," Rosalie hisses from the doorway.

"I agree, Rosalie, and I never said they were. However, even in normal humans, a pregnancy can be treated by the body as an attack to the immune system, and technically speaking it is a parasite. In my case, it's even more extreme. The cells in my body aren't allowed to alter, so I don't have a menstrual cycle, as that would entail cell change. The only thing that does have any effect on me is vampire venom. Not enough of an effect to change me, but as you can see, it leaves scars, just like it does on a vampire." I wave my arms around, showing a small portion of my multitude of scars.

"Opal, might I ask how it is you came to be immortal? Was a transfusion done to you like you're suggesting?"

"No, I was born this way. I can remember as a kid never getting sick, never really getting hurt, or when I did, I healed really fast. No one really thought anything of it, I mean I was the youngest of seven children, so my parents' attention was elsewhere. They were just happy that I stayed out of trouble and they didn't have to cart me off to the doctor ever. When I was sixteen years old though, I was kidnapped. A vampire stole me away, and fed from me. When I didn't die, he realized what I was. And so began my life as a vampire chew toy.

"I stopped aging when my body had regenerated one too many times. At a certain point, the cells stop changing when they regenerate, so aging can't occur. I was about 20 years old when that happened. I imagine there are Silverbloods that could age normally and even die of natural causes if they don't get injured enough times to stop the aging process.

"I don't want to think about how awful it would be if that injury peak happened at the age of 92 or something. Being 92 for all eternity would _not_ be the bee's knees," Emmett chimes in.

"How right you are," I reply. "I don't know any other Silverbloods, or rather haven't met any. So I can't really give you any information other than what I've been through."

"How does your memory work?" Carlisle asks.

"I remember pretty much everything I see. Some memories are murkier than others, and I try to consciously block out the unpleasant ones. But I doubt mine is as good as the perfect recall that you all have. Because my body can't deteriorate, neither does my mind, so even though I'm rather old, I don't suffer from any kind of memory loss. But as most humans don't recall every moment of every day, the same goes for me."

I turn to see Jasper exchanging a silent conversation again with Edward. "I should probably let you know that my senses are keener than most humans, so while I couldn't make out exactly what you said, Edward, I know you said something."

"Sorry, Darlin'," Jasper croons. "Edward and I are trying to figure out why he can't hear you. He could always hear everyone, human, vampire or otherwise until Bella and Beck, and now he can't hear you."

"Brain damage," I reply. Edward glares at me, fury radiating off of him that even I can feel, and I'm not the empath. "I didn't mean to Bella and Beck," I defend. "I suffered a head injury many years ago that I never fully healed from. I became left handed, lost my pain receptors, and I wouldn't be surprised if it blocks my mind from you, Edward."

"What happened?" Carlisle asks.

"A jealous mate of one of my captors slammed my head into a cement floor a few dozen times. Cracked my skull and turned my brain to mush. I healed up just fine for the most part, but some things were a little different."

"Why would a mate be jealous of a chew toy?" Emmett asks. Rosalie smacks him up side the head for his tactless comment. I'm not offended, but then, little does offend me anymore.

"Let's just say I wasn't always only a chew toy," I reply. Rosalie glances at me, understanding etched in her features. Jasper moves in my peripheral vision and I hear a loud crash. When I turn to look, I see he's thrown a table through a window. Esme runs to me and clutches me tightly.

"I'm so sorry sweetie," she cries. Rosalie is there a moment later, wrapping her arms around the two of us. I want to join them in their tender moment, but I need to go to Jasper. My body is pulling me towards him without me really deciding to do it. I see him outside on the deck, having walked through the window he just broke. He is pacing back and forth, growling loudly, his hands are balled into fists. "Opal no" Emmett yells, wrapping his arms around me in an attempt to stop me from going outside.

"Let me go, Emmett," I warn. "He needs me." Emmett reluctantly lets me go and I walk through the broken glass onto the deck. Jasper stops pacing abruptly, turning towards the yard and placing his fists on the railing. I walk up to him, sliding my fingers down his forearm, gently, in an attempt to calm him.

"Careful Opal," Carlisle warns. "He's very unstable right now, especially when he can feel all our emotions."

"I'll be fine," I whisper back. "Jasper would never hurt me." I reach out again and attempt to uncurl his fist. After a few moments, his hand relaxes and he allows my fingers to interlace with his.

"How did you do that?" he asks.

"Do what? You're the one that uncurled his fist."

"No, I mean calm me down. I was livid, but as soon as you touched me, I calmed."

"I don't know Jasper, I just knew that what I told you all upset you and that somehow I'd be the only one that could console you," I explain. He nods, turning towards me and wraps his arms around me. His body is ice cold, but I've never felt more warm in my entire life. Not since the last time I was wrapped in these arms, anyway.

"You're right you know," he says as he rubs his cheek against my hair. "I would never hurt you, nor let anything or anyone hurt you." A collective gasp is heard from everyone behind us.

Jasper PoV

The closest exit is through the window that leads to the deck. The sliding door is closed, making the easiest route of escape to break the window. Esme will be upset, but I'll have it fixed tomorrow. I have to leave the room while Rosalie and Esme wrap Opal in their arms and share their emotions about their abuse and how they were changed. Being an empath, I would not be able to keep from being a sally sob story aright along with them. Emmett once told me there's nothing wrong with a man that cries, but I beg to differ. When I was human, I was taught that tears meant weakness. When I became a vampire, I was told much the same. Not to mention the fact that I was surrounded by so many volatile emotions that I didn't have it in me to cry. I was just angry. For decades, livid beyond comprehension.

Now I'm livid all over again over what happened to Opal. Not only has she spent her life as a meal, she was also used for other desires? I can't begin to imagine the impression she must have on vampires. Not all of us are so barbaric. She knows that right? She trusts me; she said as much. She feels comfortable in this house that is brimming with vampires; she practically came running when I invited her.

I feel Opal approaching me from behind, and hear Emmett trying to restrain her. I want to rip his arms off for touching her, but she holds her own, and gets him to let her go. Carlisle warns her not to get to close, but she ignores that warning as well. Her soft fingers trail down my arm and attempt to uncurl my fist. After a moment, I relax and twine my fingers with hers.

She calmed me the moment she touched me. How does she do that? Who is she to me? How does she know me? How do I supposedly know her? I can't believe for a moment that I knew her as a vampire. There's no way I could forget her face. I promise her that I'll never hurt her or let anyone hurt her, and hear a gasp come from every member of my family. "He loves her," Esme whispers too low for Opal to hear. Apparently I was projecting my emotions on them. Does Opal feel them too? Does she have any idea of the effect she's had on me in the past few days? The moment I laid eyes on her, I was a changed man.

"I'm tired," she whispers against my chest. "Do you think it'd be alright if I went to bed for a while?"

"Of course, Darlin,'" I assure her. "You don't have to ask every time you want to do somethin'."

"I know, but it's hardwired into me to ask. Even when I was a kid."

"Okay, would you like someone to stay with you or do you want to be alone?" I ask.

"Would you stay with me? At least until I fall asleep?" she asks, looking up at me, her cheeks reddening in a blush that rivals Bella's. I nod and smile at her, running my finger across her warmed cheek. She smiles back and grabs my hand, leading me back through the house and up the stairs. I promise Esme that I'll fix the window first thing in the morning. She's still too upset to care that I broke the window or ruined one of her antique tables in the process. But knowing her, she'll come around and scold me eventually. Or maybe she's also so happy that I'm home that she just doesn't care.

Opal disappears into her cavernous closet for a moment and returns wearing a cotton nightgown that falls to just above her knees. Completely innocent, yet completely scandalous at the same time. She smiles at me and blushes again as she pulls the covers down from the bed. She settles in and watches me expectantly. "Aren't you going to join me?" she asks, confused.

"I wasn't sure If ya wanted me in th'bed with ya, Darlin'." She blushes yet again and the pats the empty space next to her on the bed. I happily oblige and slide under the blankets next to her. She settles herself against me, pulling my arms around her. "Aren't ya gonna get cold?" I ask, whispering lightly in her ear. She shivers slightly but shakes her head and snuggles up against me.

I run my fingers through her silky locks as she hums quietly to herself. There's something so familiar about this, but I can't pluck any actual memories about it. The texture of her hair feels so right, so close, like I've done this countless times before. The melody she hums is reminiscent of something I've heard somewhere before, but can't remember that either. While Opal slowly drifts off to sleep, I hear Emmett pacing in the hallway singing "You've got it bad" by Usher just low enough for me to hear, but Opal remains oblivious. I hiss lightly at him, to which he chuckles.

After a while she falls into a deep slumber, as evidenced by her lack of emotions, deep breathing, and steady pulse. I hold her for a few hours, not wanting to be away from her. Eventually, I remove my arms from around her and slip silently out of the room, careful not to wake her. My room is just across the hall. The melody she was humming is haunting me, and I simply must figure it out. Everyone else seems to be carrying on in their own activities around the house.

I grab my guitar out of the closet and begin to tune it. Once it's sufficiently tuned, I play the melody that Opal was humming earlier. There's something so familiar about it, but I just can't remember where I've heard it before. As I play, more aspects of it come to me and it forms into a song. Esme appears in my doorway with a huge smile on her face.

"Jasper, that's beautiful! What is it?" she asks.

I shrug. "I have no idea. Opal was humming it earlier and I can't get it out of my head."

"It sounds like it's from Mexico," Carmen says as she appears next to Esme. They both take a seat on the floor as I continue to play the melody over and over again, adding in harmonies and my own Texan twang every now and then. Edward knocks tentatively on the door, his Yamaha keyboard in tow. I nod my head for him to enter, and he begins playing along with me on his piano. Soon we've formed what sounds like a beautiful Mexican lullaby, that none of us actually know. We must have been playing a little loud as I see the door to Opal's room open slowly. She's pulled on a pair of leggings with her nightgown, (thank god) and saunters into my room.

"Where did you learn that?" she asks.

"From you," I reply. "You were humming it earlier and it got stuck in my head. It sounds familiar, but I don't know what it is. Do you?" I ask. She nods as she takes a seat on the ottoman across from me. She gestures for me to begin again. After a couple measures, she begins to sing, and it is the most beautiful thing I've heard in my entire life.

_"__A la nanita nana, nanita ella, nanita ella_

_Mi niña tiene sueño bendito sea, bendito sea_

_A la nanita nana, nanita ella, nanita ella_

_Mi niña tiene sueño bendito sea, bendito sea_

_Fuentecita que corre clara y sonora_

_Ruiseñor que en la selva cantando llora_

_Calla mientras la cuna se balancea_

_A la nanita nana, nanita ella."_

"Where did you learn that?" I ask, echoing her question.

"My nanny used to sing it to me when I was little. I sing or hum it to myself sometimes. It helps me remember that life can be happy. And sometimes it helps me sleep."

"I wonder how I know it, then," I reply.

"Because a few years before, she was your Nanny, too."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Opal PoV

Jasper stares at me as if I've sprouted a third eye. "Are we related?"

"No!" I reply, needing to nip that in the bud, right away. "Our families were very close though. We grew up together. I was taken not long after you left for the war. I imagine you were taken soon after that as well, yes?" He nods his reply, trying to wrap his head around the idea that I grew up with him.

"I'm so sorry that I don't remember you. But I barely remember what my parents looked like anymore. Your scent is very familiar to me though. I thought that when I first met you. It reminded me of home. Lilacs, –"

"Sweet cream, and fresh cornbread," I finish, cutting him off. "You used to say that before. And you've always smelled of bonfires, sweet tea, and sunshine to me." He smiles warmly at me, knowing that while he doesn't remember me, I've known him longer than anyone else that's alive.

"Would you like to sing the song again?" he asks. I nod enthusiastically and before long the entire family has joined in, each weaving intricate harmonies into the simple song.

"That's some set o' pipes you got there lil' sis," Emmett chimes in, ruffling my hair.

"You do know I'm older than you right? So I'm not technically your lil' sis… unless of course you're referring to your size, in which case everyone is little."

"You're older than me? How?"

"I was born in 1847, Emmett," I condescend. Emmett gawps at me. Edward snickers from behind his keyboard. Jasper reaches over and squeezes my shoulder affectionately. "Mr. 1845 here is older, though," I say with a wink at Jasper. "And I'd venture a guess that Carlisle, Eleazer, Tanya, Kate, and Irina are also older than me?" each of them nods, surprised that I was able to guess that. They ask me how I know. "It's all a matter of how you speak. Even if you don't have any kind of accent to speak of, the word choice and inflection are very indicative of era. I'd guess that Edward grew up during the early 1900s in the Midwest. Yes?"

"Born in Chicago, 1901," he gapes.

"I had a lot of time to do nothing but wait until the next vampire came in to feed from me… and so forth… I thought about these things and did a lot of reading to occupy my time." My stomach chooses that moment to growl. Esme offers to cook something for me, but I decline, saying I'd love to cook for myself, Bella and Beck.

"Oh great… another human who likes to cook," Emmett complains. "We'll never get rid of the stench of human food in this house now."

"Would you rather not have us around, Em?" Beck asks, mock sadness in her tone. She adds a lip quiver for dramatic effect.

"Of course not, little sis!" he replies picking her up in his signature bear hug, completely oblivious to her obvious manipulation. "Feel free to cook garlic every day!" He twirls her around a few times before she threatens to get sick on him.

I slide past them and head down the stairs, Jasper hot on my heels. I guess he doesn't like being away from me as much as I don't like being away from him. Now that I'm with him again after 150 years, I'm never going anywhere. I'll follow him to the ends of the earth and beyond. I spent so long thinking he'd been killed in the war, or came home to find me gone and married someone else. I never found any records to prove one way or another, and now I know why. Our families brought us together back then, and luckily we loved each other. Fate has brought us together now, and I can only hope that he still feels the same way, or will once he gets to know me again.

Bella and Beck join me in the kitchen, and I instruct them to sit on the stools. "Now have either of y'all ever had a real southern home cooked breakfast before?" they shake their heads in unison. "Good," I reply

"Are you sure you don't want any help, dear?" Esme asks as she peeks her head in the doorway.

"No, thank you Esme. I can't tell you the last time I got to cook for anyone other than myself, and I used to love it." She nods in understanding and flits away. I pull out the flour, buttermilk, eggs, bacon, sausage, hominy, and everything else I need to make biscuits and gravy with fried eggs and grits. I start everything going while Bella and Beck are catching me up to speed on all things Cullen. Evidently Alice and Jasper joined the family roughly sixty years ago. I was in south America at that time, being carted around by some evolution obsessed vampire named Joham, being used as food for his unruly half-vampire children.

"What is that?" Bella asks, pulling me out of my memory. She is staring at the pot of cheesy grits cooking on the stove.

"Grits with cheese," I reply. She asks what grits are, which astounds me momentarily. "Didn't I hear you were from Phoenix?" I ask. Bella nods, "I guess that isn't really the 'south' though is it? Mostly Hispanic foods?"

"Yeah, and I'm sick of it," Beck replies. Bella giggles, saying their dad loves Bella's homemade enchiladas, and Beck always leaves the house while the meal is being made.

"Grits are made of hominy, which is a corn product. You kind of cook it like one would oatmeal, and serve it either with cheese and bacon or it can be eaten sweetened with sugar or honey. Today we're going the savory route." After a few more turns of the pan, breakfast is ready. I place a piping hot plate in front of both of the girls and serve one for myself, taking a stool on the other end of the bar. Jasper closes the distance between us and settles his hand on the small of my back while I eat.

Bella and Beck both take tentative bites of the grits before moaning and digging in for more. "Oh my god," Beck exclaims. "Opal, you can cook every day from here on out as far as I'm concerned."

"I think Esme might be a little hurt at that," Bella whispers to her, knowing full well Esme can hear that, too.

"Oh sorry Esme! You're a wonderful cook!" Beck calls out also knowing that wherever Esme is, she's smiling.

As I finish eating, Jasper takes my dishes and brings them to the sink to wash. "Jasper, you don't have to do that," I protest.

"Opal," he says, putting his hand up to stop me. "You know as well as I do that whoever cooks, doesn't clean up. We were both raised that way." I can't argue with him; we were raised that way. Our mothers and their servants were the ones who made all the meals but us kids and our fathers were the ones who cleaned up the dishes.

"So what's on the agenda?" I ask.

"Shopping of course!" Alice pipes in, dancing into the kitchen. "Coming Jasper?"

"Ah no, I think I'll stay outta the line of fire for this one. You girls have a good time though, yeah?" My heart sinks slightly at his decision to stay behind. He sidles up to me and wraps his arms around me and puts his lips close to my ear. "I got something special waiting for ya when y'get home okay, Darlin'?" I smile and nod as he kisses my cheek pouring an awful lot of emotion into me through his lips. Maybe he is falling for me again.

Alice pulls me out of Jasper's arms and out the door. We get into a yellow Porsche that seems entirely too ostentatious. Rosalie slides into the back seat. "Aren't Bella and Beck coming?"

"They hate shopping as much as we hate eating human food," Rosalie explains. Alice drives along at a steady pace. And by steady I mean 95 miles an hour. We arrive in Seattle in what seemed like 12 minutes, but must have been closer to an hour and a half.

The girls pull me from shop to shop, making me try on various clothes. "Aren't you having fun?" Alice asks with a pout on her face. We're currently at a nail salon having manicure-pedicures done. The nail technician comments that my feet have zero calluses or dead skin, something she's never seen before.

"I've never been pampered like this, so it's a nice change," I whisper in Portuguese so the nail tech doesn't understand. "But I have to be honest when I tell you, this reminds me of this little girl whose father owned me for a while. He changed his daughter at the age of 10, and she treated me like her life-size dress up doll that she also got to bite whenever she wanted. I know neither of you are going to bite me, but I can't scratch the memory."

"Aww, I'm sorry sweetie. I wish I'd known. I just can't see anything when it comes to you. I mean, I saw you coming with us to go shopping, saw you smiling and seemingly having a good time, but I can't actually see your decisions. It's quite maddening."

"Imagine how it is for the rest of us," I reply, smirking at her. "And I am happy, very happy."

"Spill," Rosalie states. I quirk an eyebrow at her. "What's the deal with you and Jasper?" The nail techs leave us to soak in the hot water and go off to chat in their own break room.

"What do you mean? I told you all that we grew up together. He doesn't remember me at all, which really sucks, but that's what happens I guess."

"Yeah, but it seems a little fishy to me. Not that I don't believe or trust you, but you are new to our family and I am very protective."

"Rightfully so, Rose," I reply. "You have every right to ask me anything and I will answer as truthfully as I can. Please, please don't tell Jasper, and try not to think about it around Edward, but Jasper and I were engaged." They both shriek in surprise. "It was a match made in heaven. Our families sort of arranged our joining, but we were already in love, and had been always. We were each other's best friend as kids and as we grew, so too did our connection. The day before he left for the war, he proposed to me, and I accepted. We exchanged precious stones of our namesake and promised to grow old together. I don't know if he still has the opal I gave him, but I wear the jasper pendant every day." I pull the stone out from behind my shirt collar to show them.

"You've never taken it off in 150 years?" Alice asks.

"Oh, I didn't wear it for a long time; for fear that it would be stolen from me. I had to keep it hidden for years at a time sometimes. Also I never wore it when I was being fed from. I didn't want to risk it breaking or someone taking it from me. It is my most precious possession, losing it would have killed me."

"But now you have Jasper back, so are you going to tell him all this?"

"Yes, my plan is to give him the full story at the costume ball. Considering we'll be dressing from our own era, I think it'll be appropriate, don't you?" Alice's eyes glaze over momentarily, and then she squeals in delight when they refocus.

"Opal it'll be perfect! He'll love it. He loves you already; he just needs to admit it to himself. Can't blame him though, he's been alone for sixty years and before that the woman who he thought was his mate turned out to only be manipulating him for her own gain."

"Maria," Rosalie hisses under her breath.

"Maria? As in the vampire ruler of the South, Maria?" I ask.

"Yeah, she created Jasper and used him and his ability to help her gain the most territory in the south," Alice replies. My mouth drops open. As I sit there, the rage starts to increase.

"That dirty, no good, foul, rotten, evil trampy harlot!"

"You know her?" Alice and Rosalie chorus in unison.

"Know her? I was her bloody slave for the better part of forty years!"

"What happened?" they ask.

"She got me after a fight with another vampire named Sir Raymond. His mate is the one that bashed my head in, damaging my pain receptors, and likely making it so Edward can't hear me and you can't see me," I tell Alice. "She learned early on that no amount of torture would make me obey her wishes. Not feeling pain really minimizes the affects of the torture. It becomes a mere annoyance at that point. She told me she knew who my fiancé was, and if I didn't do exactly what she asked of me, she'd turn him and throw him to the wolves, figuratively speaking. That was her ticket to get me to do every thing she asked of me for so long.

"Eventually she told me that he'd died of exhaustion, tilling the soil for a new season. It made sense; he would have been nearly 70 years old at that point, very old for that time period. He'd moved on without me, started a family, and lived a full happy life. I was happy for him. It made sense to me too; I mean, if I am a Silverblood, then I would have stopped aging at some point, while my husband, children, grandchildren, and everyone aged and died. But I lost all will to do anything and since Maria no longer held that over my head, she let me go. I was free for all of twelve seconds before another coven found me and took me away. But it didn't matter. I stopped caring what happened to me. I had merely been existing until Jasper walked through my door the other day."

Alice and Rosalie are sitting there, stock still. The way a vampire should _not_ be sitting when trying to blend in with humans. "I wonder if she had any idea that the vampire who ran her army is the same person who she held over your head for so long. Amazing that you were right near Jasper for so long but didn't even know it."

"She kept me far away from her soldiers," I reply. "She was the only one who fed from me at all during that time, which was the only respite I got during my life as a Silverblood. Previously and since then I've had multiple vampires crowding me like pigs at the feeding trough."

"My life as a Silverblood? That sounds like a bad ABC Family TV Show," Rosalie jokes, thus ending the serious tone of our conversation.

Jasper PoV

"Edward!" I shout, needing to get his attention away from his conversation with Bella for a moment.

"What is it Jasper?" he asks.

"I told Opal I would have something special planned for her when she got back and I have no idea what to do."

"You love her, don't you?"

"Something tells me I always have, and that I've been missing out on that for a century and a half. I have a lot of time to make up for, and I don't want to waste a moment of it. Do you have any ideas?"

"Well she's been carted off by Alice and Rosalie for the day; she'll no doubt be exhausted when she gets back. I'd suggest something low key, where she doesn't have to expend any more energy than she already has."

"Movie night," Emmett chimes in.

"Why would she like a movie night?"

"Dude, all women love a movie night. Turn the downstairs entertainment room into a theater, big comfy chairs, popcorn, candy, big screen, the whole nine. You can even consign Edward and me to work the theater as ushers."

"Why are you dragging me into this nonsense?" Edward asks Emmett. "Look Jasper, I know you love her, okay, I've been hearing you scream it in your thoughts practically since the day you rescued her. I can't hear her, but you can feel her. And you feel loved. She loves you more than anything in this world, I can tell you that. Just do what feels right, what feels natural."

"Thanks, bro," I reply. He nods and wanders off with Emmett. I set to rearranging the entertainment room to make it look more theater-esque. All of the movies from everyone's collection are catalogued in an extensive wall shelf, the cases discarded, but the discs saved in thin sleeves so as to maximize the quantity in the space. One of Emmett's "ingenious" ideas. Though actually we all thought it was very smart of him. He set up a computer system that contains the cover and back cover art of the cases, and when you select a movie, the disc that it corresponds to will automatically come forward, flop onto the drive and start playing. A "glorified jukebox" he calls it.

I start the popcorn in the machine right as I hear the girls drive up the road in Alice's Porsche. Opal is putting off excited emotions, it sounds as though Alice may have told her a little about what I have been planning. "Have fun Opal, and don't do anything I wouldn't do," Rosalie calls as she walks up the stairs, presumably to find Emmett. I hear Opal's soft footfalls heading towards the basement door.

"Jasper?" she calls out. "Are you down there?"

"Yes, come on down, Darlin'," I reply. She skips down the stairs quickly and launches herself at me from the bottom step. I catch her deftly, and plant a kiss on her cheek. "I missed you," I whisper, letting my cool breath hit her ear.

"Likewise," she replies. "You never told me that your sisters would subject me to torture." She shoves her fingers out at me to show me her perfectly manicured nails. "And the toes match. It's ridiculous… how do you live like this?"

"Feel free to hold me completely responsible for how lovely you look," I reply.

"I think I just might. Now what's all this?" she asks as she looks around the room.

"I thought we'd have a movie night. Just you and me," I suggest.

"Wow, when we were younger, there'd be someone supervising us… usually my dad or your uncle," she replies. "I like this better. This is one culture change that I am completely okay with." She plops down into one of the overstuffed couches and waits for me expectantly. I hand her the touch screen computer where she can page through the movie choices, and go dish up some popcorn for her. I place the bowl on a tray along with several sodas in a bucket of ice, some selections of candy, and a chocolate bar or two. "Jeepers, Jasper! It's a good thing I don't have to watch my girlish figure!" she jokes. I chuckle, kiss her on the head and sit down next to her.

"Did you pick a film?" I ask.

"See? There's another sign of our age… no one today says film, they all say movie or flick. And yes, I did pick one. I'm a sucker for Charlie Chaplin, and this is his first Talkie."

"The Great Dictator? I've never seen it. You like this film?"

"Yeah, it's one of my favorites. You and I both lived through so many wars, and seeing how humans can treat each other. It's worse than what happened in the Southern Vampire Wars, or anything that's happened to me."

"Opal, you've been through hell," I reply. She places a finger on my lips to silence me.

"I know fully well what I've been through, Jasper. And what you've been through. Alice and Rosalie told me about your… upbringing," she says, as she traces one of the scars on my jaw line. "And those are horrible things that we've endured at the hands of greedy, power hungry vampires. But what the humans have done to each other in the name of religion, greed and a hunger for power is nothing short of abhorrent, gruesome and vile. If I could think of a worse adjective, I'd throw that in there, too. But I was never stuffed into a gas chamber to be killed merely for believing in a certain religion. I was never placed in an interment camp merely for being of the same country or descended of the same country that attacked an island in Hawaii. I was never forced out of my homeland, nor burned at the stake for being a heretic by the Inquisition. I was never given a blanket covered in small pox virus in an effort to snuff out my entire tribe of people.

"In my mind, those things are much, much worse than anything I ever went through. I can't say the same for you, as I don't know the details of everything; but in many ways, mankind is much more monstrous than vampire kind."

"You make a fair point," I reply. "And I think you're right. Vampires are by definition monsters, but not all of us are monstrous. Humans are capable of doing much worse things than I've seen any vampire do. Would you like to start the film?" I ask.

"Yes, what do I do?" she asks as she hands the tablet back to me. I instruct her to click on the selection and point to where the disc emerges from the shelves and is placed on the reader. Her eyes widen in surprise. "Where in the hell did this come from?"

"Emmett," I reply. She chuckles, already understanding the intricacies that are my brother. The film starts and she grabs the bowl of popcorn and settles up against me, placing the bowl in my lap as she snacks on it. When the scene with the upside down airplane begins, she has to take the bowl off my lap to prevent it from being spilled, from my shaking with laughter.

"What I'm loving about this movie is how Chaplin is able to take a rather serious topic and add humor without making it offensive," Opal remarks.

"Yes, definitely," I agree. "What happens in this film is very similar to what happened to the Jews in Germany and other parts of Europe during Hitler's reign, from what I remember. Chaplin's remarkable resemblance to the Fuhrer, only adds to the parallels." At this point, Opal places the bowl of popcorn back on the tray and sits up, crawling over, into my lap. My arm automatically wraps around her hips, holding her close to me. She leans her head against my shoulder as we continue watching the film.

As the film ends, I smell tears. "Opal, what's wrong?" I ask, brushing her hair from her face so she can look at me.

"I just missed you so much, Jasper," she replies, sobbing through her words. "I've daydreamed so many times about sitting with you like this, seeing films, going out to dinner, being normal. I know we'll never be fully normal, but this has made everything I've gone through not matter in the least. Being with you now has made me the happiest I've ever been."

"Opal I know you're planning on telling me more, and that I have to wait until the costume ball for the full story; Alice told me that much. She told me not to push for information, but I can feel your emotions. And I need you to know that I feel the same way." I decide not to drop the L word on her just yet, as I've just realized it myself, and she's got a lot to sort through, herself.

"You do?" she asks, astonished. I detect a hint of uncertainty in her emotions.

"Yes, silly girl. I didn't realize it at first, but just these few days with you have told me that you're the one I've been missing all these years."

"Jasper," she calls after a moment of awkward silence. I look up into the deep sapphire pools in her eyes. "Now would be a good time for you to kiss me."

"I wasn't sure if you wanted that. I know my kind has hurt you in the pa—" she cuts me off by pressing her lips to mine. I revel in the warm satin against my lips and pull her tightly against me. She turns her body so she can be pressed more tightly to me. I trail my tongue along her lip, asking for entrance, which she grants enthusiastically. Her body has shifted completely, and she is straddling my lap, her warm little body completely pressed along mine. Her fingers slide up my neck and into my hair, tugging gently, eliciting quiet growls from me.

There is no comparison to the taste of her. She is absolutely exquisite. I wrap my arms tightly around her waist, letting one hand trail up her back and into her silky locks.

After a few minutes, she pulls away, gasping for air. Oh right, humans need to breathe. "We should slow down," she whispers. I nod my head in agreement. If she hadn't stopped, I might have gone too far and ripped her clothes and mine off right there. She slides off my lap, immediately making me miss the warmth of her, and sidles up beside me, pulling my arm around her shoulders. She's paging through the tablet again, looking for another film to watch.

"Would you like something more substantial than candy and popcorn?" I ask. "I could have a pizza delivered, or whatever you like."

"I'm fine for now, but maybe later pizza would be great," she replies. "I'm not used to being able to eat whatever I want. I'm fairly certain that what I eat does not affect the taste of my blood at all, and that they just used it as a way to control me. But still, having this freedom too is so wonderful. Thank you again for rescuing me, Jasper." She nuzzles her head against my chest, and wraps her arm around my torso.

"Any time, Darlin'," I reply. "I would rescue you a thousand times over. No question about it." I can feel her smile against me before she turns back to the tablet to page through the list of movies.

"Ooh! Firefly! Have you seen this program?" she asks, suddenly very excited again.

"No, I haven't watched many programs or films. That's more Emmett's department. Is it a good one?"

"Well cowboy, you will just have to watch and find out," she replies selecting it and watching as the disc moves to the reader tray and the show begins on the screen. She settles up against me again, a bag of candy in one hand and a bottle of soda that she settles against my legs to help keep it cold.

"I have to admit, this show is pretty great," I say, once the first episode is over. "Want to watch another one?"

"Yes, but I must visit the loo first. I'll be right back," she hops up off the sofa and skips to the bathroom. Loo? Are we in England now? Emmett comes bounding down the stairs; he must have been listening far too closely for my liking.

"Firefly! You guys are watching Firefly and you didn't invite me?! I'm hurt, dude!"

"Oh you'll get over it. You know perfectly well that this is for me and Opal." I gaze longingly towards the bathroom door, waiting impatiently for her to be back in my arms again.

"Bro, you're projecting and it's making me want to kiss you. Which is really effing weird," Emmett warns. I reign in my emotions and head back to the couch to wait for Opal. "Dude! You totally kissed her!" he says, a little too loud for my liking.

"Actually, it was the other way 'round, but that's all the more detail yer gonna get. Now off you go!" I kick him in the arse to get him going.

"Fine, be that way," he replies as he jumps all the way to the top stair. A feat he is all too proud of, even though we all can do it. A couple minutes later, Opal emerges from the bathroom.

"Was Emmett down here?" she asks, looking around.

"Yes, and he was being an asshat, so I sent him on his way." She giggles, which is the most glorious sound in the world. "Mind if I suggest an alternate seating arrangement?" I ask. She waits expectantly. I pull a soft blanket from a basket in the corner and sit lengthwise on the sofa with the blanket on top of me. I invite her to sit in my lap, which she does and I wrap the blanket around her. My arms holding her closely to me. She leans her head back on my chest and we resume the show.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Opal PoV

I snuggle in my blankets, my back against Jasper's stone chest, remembering the lovely evening we had.

Jasper was the perfect gentleman; just like he always had been. He kissed me gently, but passionately; he held me tightly, but not aggressively. When I returned from the bathroom when Emmett was down there, he held me in his arms so sweetly, I felt like the most loved and adored woman on earth.

And now, I'm wrapped in his arms again, lying in my bed, trying to convince my heart to stop racing so I can fall asleep. "Would you like me to help you fall asleep?" he asks, his fingers trailing up and down my arm, igniting my skin with each pass.

"And just how do you intend to do that?" I ask, not even attempting to mask the lust in my voice.

"Well I was thinking I'd give you a heavy dose of tranquility to help you fall asleep, but if you have something else in mind, please enlighten a soldier." I turn around in his arms to face him, wriggling my body against his the entire way. I slide up so my face is level with his, and push against his shoulder, signaling that I want him to lie on his back. He complies with a sexy grin and I whip my head around so my hair is falling along one side of my face. I lean down, letting my chest press against his, and run my nose along his jaw before pressing my lips to his. I feel a low rumble in his chest as my fingers lace into his hair. One of his hands fists in the hair at the nape of my neck.

As I'm leaning over him, my necklace falls out of my shirt and hits him in the chin. "What's that?" he asks, his fingers reaching up to feel what hit him in the face. He grabs the pendant and holds it up to get a look at it. "This is a red jasper stone." I nod. As he works it over in his fingers, I can see the wheels turning in his mind. "I gave this to you!" he exclaims. "On the day I left for the war. I gave this to you. Opal! I remember you!" He hugs me close to him, a little too tightly, as I feel a couple ribs crack.

"Oh god, I'm sorry. Are you okay?" he starts freaking out and projecting his panic onto me. It's all I can do to not start bouncing around the room in a panic, which will not help my ribs heal.

"Jasper," I wheeze. "Please stop projecting, you're freaking me out." He clamps down on his emotions and stills on the bed. I crawl over to him and sit in his lap. "I'm completely fine Jasper, feel." I take his hand and place it against where he squeezed a little too hard. He can feel the bones knitting themselves back together. "I can't feel physical pain, so it doesn't hurt at all. Please don't beat yourself up about this. I've long gotten used to having my ribs cracked. And you barely did anything, and you didn't do it on purpose or with intent to harm me. You just hugged me a little hard is all, and I loved it."

"You loved that I broke your ribs?" he hisses.

"Cracked, not broke. There's a difference. But not that it matters. I love that you felt the need to hold me so close and tightly. Being in a tight, loving embrace with you is the best feeling in the world to me. Plus, you just told me you remember me. How am I not supposed to be ecstatic about that?"

"Holding you feels so familiar to me," he replies. "That was one clue that at least my body remembered you, that and your scent. But this pendant," he grabs the pendant from against my chest and holds it gently in his hand, "solidifies that I definitely know you. I can't remember all of the details, but I remember putting this pendant around your neck. I remember kissing you goodbye and promising to return so that we could –" he pauses. "Opal, were we engaged?!"

"Yes, I was planning on telling you all this at the costume ball, but you remembering is far better than any scene I could recreate."

"You're sure you're okay?" he asks, rubbing my side gently.

"You're an empath, can you feel physical pain from others too?" I ask.

"Not exactly," he replies. "I can feel that they are in pain, because their emotions signal distress and discomfort, but I can't feel the actual pain itself."

"Did you detect any distress or discomfort coming from me when you hugged me?" he shakes his head. "Okay then, you know that I was not in pain. Please don't dwell on it." He smiles into my neck and places a chaste kiss against my throat. I pull him with me so we're both laying on the bed again. He pulls the blankets around us and wraps his arms tightly around me. "Goodnight Jasper," I whisper.

"It surely will be," he replies. "For the first time in a long time. Sleep well, Darlin'." He presses a kiss to my head, and I feel a sense of tranquility wash over me, and soon I am in a deep slumber, dreaming of the man lying next to me.

Jasper PoV

I've heard of long engagements, but this is ridiculous. The only thing on my mind is putting a ring on her finger and making her mine forever. And that scares the hell outta me. For a century and a half I've roamed this earth in search of something to complete me. Feeling like something was missing. That something is back now, my arms are wrapped securely around it, and yet it still terrifies me that I'm feeling so strongly.

I can remember the day I left as clear as a bell now. I wonder if more human memories will surface, spending more time with her.

_Opal looked up at me, tears filling her eyes. How can I leave this angel? I buried my face in her hair, inhaling deeply to memorize everything about her. She always smelled of lilac, sweet cream and fresh cornbread. "My sweet Opal," I cooed. "I shall miss you so, my love."_

_"__I love you," she said to me. "Please don't forget me," she added as she placed an opal stone in my hand, which I placed in my left breast pocket, right over my heart._

_"__I love you, and I will return to you if it's the last thing I do," I whispered in her ear just before placing a leather string around her neck that held a red jasper pendant on it. So we could remember each other. My fingers stroked her cheek before I leaned in for one last chaste kiss. Opal wrapped her fingers around the pendant as I mounted my horse. My hand patted my pocket, holding her stone as I gave her one last smile. I rode away towards the horizon, turning back every little bit to see if she was still standing there. She hadn't moved, until I could no longer see her, having disappeared over the horizon._

She gave me an opal. Do I still have it? Has it been in the pocket of my uniform coat all these years? Not wanting to let her go, I call out for Alice, quietly. She enters the room probably already knowing what I'm thinking. "You still have it," she replies. "I used it to put the Cullen Crest on when we joined the family. It's in your jewelry box. I didn't know the significance of the stone, I just thought it was unique and would make a great background for the crest. It can be easily unmade though, the stone was never cut on or drilled through or anything." She's speaking so low and so fast I barely catch everything she says.

"It's okay, Alice. Gosh, I haven't worn that ring in a long time. It just felt weird on my finger, now I know why.—" My words are cut off by a loud howl in the woods. Opal wrenches awake. Alice has already disappeared out the door.

"It's okay, Darlin.' It's just a wolf," I assure her, stroking her hair. It doesn't sound like one of the Quileutes, but at the rate they've been phasing, it could be a new one.

"No, it's not just any wolf," she whispers as she launches herself off the bed and into the closet. She emerges a couple minutes later in thick jeans, a fleece vest and hiking boots.

"Where are you going?" I ask.

"Outside," she replies as she walks out onto the balcony and starts to hitch one leg over the railing.

"What are you doing?!" I nearly shout, pulling her back from the balcony. "We're three stories up, you'll break your legs!"

"I've done that about a thousand times, not a big deal," she replies. "Jasper, please let me go."

"Not until you tell me what's going on," I say, tightening my grip around her minutely.

"Jasper, I know that wolf, okay? You just need to trust me. I'll be back soon."

"I'm coming with you," I reply, following closely behind her.

"I can see that no matter what I say, you won't stay here, so yes you may follow me, but keep your distance. She doesn't trust vampires, and with good reason, if she catches your scent, she'll run."

Completely confused and more than a little worried, I followed her out the back door and across the lawn. She walks determinedly through the grass and into the trees. Before long we meet the river edge and she learns there is no bridge. "Would you like some assistance?" I ask from a few yards behind her, trying to keep the distance she requested.

"No," she replies as she looks around the area. Her mood is calm and calculating. She takes a few steps back, passing me in the process, she digs her heels in and launches herself off at full speed. I notice that she seems to be running a good deal faster than any human should be able to, but not as fast as a vampire. She leaps across the river in a graceful bound that would rival any immortal I know. Sticking the landing on the other side like an Olympic gymnast, she turns and beckons me to follow. I copy her movements and leap across the river after her. She's already left the clearing, heading back into the woods following some invisible trail. I only heard that wolf howl once, but she's walking in such a way that tells me she knows exactly where she's going.

Soon, she slows and calls back to me asking me to keep my distance. I leap up into a tree to keep her in my line of vision as she enters a clearing. It does not escape my notice that we are dangerously close to the boundary line between Cullen and Quileute territory. I hope that the recent truce between our family and the wolves will keep them from attacking should we cross the line.

Before long, a lone wolf comes out of the trees. Just a normal wolf, from the looks of it. The animal has a long scar across its face, slicing through one eye, likely making it partially blind. Opal shows no fear from this animal, and the animal does not bare her teeth or show any signs of aggression. She sits on her haunches as Opal approaches, reaching her hand out to run her fingers through the fur on the wolf's neck. "Hiya girl. How ya doin?" she croons. The wolf whines lowly in reply. Even I can detect the melancholy tone in her voice, and animal emotions are not easy for me to sense.

"Yeah, up until recently, I felt the same way," Opal says. It's as if she's having a legitimate conversation with this animal. I am completely captivated by her. Watching Opal run through the trees, only illuminated by the moonlight has been rather intriguing as well. Much as it would on my skin, the moonlight reflects off of her scars, causing her to glow ever so slightly. Caught up in watching her interact with the strange wolf, I don't notice the approach of several pack members until they're breaching the tree line, heading right for Opal.

The wolf growls, it's hackles raise, teeth bare and she steps in front of Opal as if to protect her from the massive horse sized wolves that have arrived. Do I interfere? Can Opal take care of herself? Before I can decide what to do, one of the wolves shifts into human form. It's Paul.

"You're awfully close to the line, little girl. Why don't you run back to your precious coven?"

"Coven? Ha! You think I'm a vampire! Well aren't you dense," Opal replies. Clearly she has no idea that Paul has the shortest temper of all of them. It isn't wise to cross him. She reaches down to pet her wolf, attempting to calm her. "Shh, it's okay girl. I can handle these buffoons."

"Careful, what you say, leech."

"Careful what I say? You're the one who comes barging into this clearing, accusing me of being a blood sucking monster, telling me to run back a coven that I'm not even part of and now you're warning me to watch what I say? Wow, you really are dense. I'm not a vampire, you cretin!" She sounds incredibly offended at Paul's accusation. However, given her experience with my kind for the past century and a half, accusing her of being a vampire would be akin to accusing a Holocaust survivor of being a Nazi. "Look at my eyes… blue. How many vampires do you know that have blue eyes? I'm gonna go with none. Listen to my heart… yes my heart; It beats. How many vampires do you know with beating hearts? I'll say zero once again."

"Listen here, little—"

"Call me little girl one more time, and I'll rip off your testicles and shove them down your throat." Her tone was incredibly menacing and I knew she would follow through on her threat if he continues to provoke her. She advances on him, starting to poke her finger into his chest as she speaks. "I am one hundred and sixty five years old. Have some respect for your elders. I've killed more vampires than you could ever hope to." I knew that was a lie, but the wolves had no idea of that. "Each scar you see on me is evidence of one more vampire that met his end at my hand." It's as if she knows these wolves on a very deep level. She knows exactly what to say to them to get them to understand her and take her threats seriously. Nothing says respect to them like killing lots and lots of vampires.

"What are you?" Paul asks. The rest of the wolves howl their mutual curiosity.

"Opal," she replies. "That's all the more you need to know." She turns and walks way, back towards where I'm perched. The lone wolf follows her out of the clearing, turning back to bark one more, growling a warning at the pack. They are stock still, completely shocked. I'm guessing she alerted them due to my scent being on her. Mine mixed with hers would mask her human scent slightly and make them think she was a vampire. Once they got close enough to hear her heart, they should have halted. Blast that Paul and his infernal temper!

As the wolf is still following behind Opal, I keep my distance so as not to spook her. Clearly Opal has some deep connection with this wolf that I may never understand. The wolf sits on her haunches again while Opal strokes her fur. She licks Opal's hand a few times and nips her playfully. I smile at the exchange. Being a vampire, having pets in the house is never really an option. Except for maybe goldfish. Any other animal has too strong of instincts to be able to stand being around us.

They exchange a few more minutes of interaction before the wolf bounds off into the woods. "You can come out now, Jasper," Opal calls softly.

"Please tell me you're going to explain… all of that," I request. She nods and leads me towards a fallen tree that makes a lovely bench.

"That wolf is the reason why I think it would work to make Bella and Beck like me," she begins. "About 70 years ago, I was able to escape from the coven that had me. They had all gone out, leaving me in a room they thought I couldn't get out of. Well I did get out, and I came upon a ravenous wolf. She was all alone and had recently been injured. The scar on her face indicated a vampire used her as a chew toy. I couldn't figure out why. But she attacked me, and started eating my flesh." I grimace. "I know it sounds awful, but it didn't hurt, and I knew she was starving or she never would have attacked a human. I let her continue to feed, and while I watched her, the horrid injury on her eye faded to that scar that she has now. I healed, and we've shared a special connection ever since. She has no pack; I was all alone in the world. I think she figures out a way to follow me wherever I go. No matter how I travel, she finds me. Every time. We're connected."

"You said that was 70 years ago," I state. She nods. "Wolves don't live to be that old."

"Exactly. She's immortal. She ate enough of my flesh and blood that hers was altered."

"Wow," I reply. "And what about the wolf pack? You weren't afraid of them."

"They're not the first shape-shifters I've met. There was another group of them in South America. They were controlled by the coven though, prisoners like me. Aside from that, their attitudes were always very volatile, always on the brink of shifting to their animal forms. When I saw that young man shift, I knew they were similar. I know I lied to them about killing vampires, but it was the only thing I could think of that would make me appear strong, as a potential adversary, as opposed to a weak link. And I know I said I wasn't part of your coven, but not in the way you might be thinking.

"The way shifters' minds work is that they hate vampires with everything in them. Anything or anyone that allies with a vampire is seen as an enemy and immediately taken out. I've seen it. They've even killed humans who've agreed to be turned, without even allowing them to change their minds. Allying myself with you or your family would have made me a vampire in their eyes and they would have tried to kill me. I had a hard enough time convincing them I'm not a vampire despite my heart beat and eye color."

"I think you handled the situation perfectly, Darlin'."

"Thanks," she replies. "Let's go back home?" My heart swells at her already calling it home. With any luck, it'll be her home with me forever. I scoop her up in my arms and take off running. As I'm running, I remember that she was somehow running much faster than a human could earlier. Still giddy with her calling our house her home, I decide to leave that subject for another time.

Once at home, she changes back into her pajamas and snuggles into bed with me wrapped tightly around her. "Words cannot express how happy I am, Jasper," she whispers. "for the first time in 150 years, I finally feel complete."

"Me too, Darlin'," I say, kissing the top of her head. "Me too."

Opal PoV

In the morning, I'm awakened by a slight knock on the door. I've learned to sleep with one eye open for a long time, so any slight noise will wake me up rather quickly. "Who is it?" I call out, slightly groggy.

"It's Alice," Jasper whispers.

"It's me," Alice says from the other side of the door. "The packages you sent for arrived today. May I come in?" she asks. I can tell she's bouncing from foot to foot in the hallway, completely ecstatic to see what it is I had delivered.

"Yes, come on in, Alice. Jasper, you get out." He looks at me as if I've just killed his cat.

"Oh, get over yourself and go hunt with Emmett or something. You know full well I'm not letting you see what is in those boxes yet."

"You'll find a pair of bobcats. Emmett will find a sleepy black bear," Alice quips as she passes him through the door. Jasper's excitement spikes and he immediately starts hollering for Emmett. Esme and Rosalie follow behind Alice each carrying a couple boxes in the room. If I didn't know they are vampires, seeing these dainty women carrying such big and heavy boxes would be completely unbelievable. As it is, the sight is something to behold.

"Okay," I say, starting to open the boxes nearest to me. "I want you all to swear to secrecy on this. Edward is at Bella's place, right?" I ask.

"I sent him there early this morning, he likes to be there when she wakes up anyway. He won't be back until this afternoon. Beck is with them too."

"Excellent, once he's back, please try and keep this out of your thoughts and try not to be too excited about it, which'll tip off Jasper. Up 'til now, I think he's just been reading your excitement regarding the mystery of the boxes, but now that you'll know what they contain, I'd like for him to be as surprised as possible."

"No worries," they assure me. "Now what's in them?" Alice asks excitedly.

"Costumes of course, but these are legit 1850s-60s wardrobe. Some of which is from my own closet or that of my family. There are dresses and suits that should fit everyone in the house without much alteration needed, if any. This box is for Jasper's eyes only," I say, pointing to one of the boxes that is marked confidential.

"I know what's in it," Alice whispers. "I won't tell a soul! He'll be so floored!"

"That's what I'm hoping for," I reply.

For the next couple hours, the girls and I spend our time deciding which dresses and suits will go for each person. I had an uncle that was rather burly like Emmett, so one of the outfits will fit him perfectly. Esme and Rosalie are able to find dresses that suit their sizes and personalities very closely. Rosalie's dress is a beautiful burgundy color that has a Chinese textile pattern across all the fabric. I recall that my grandmother had some dress patterns and fabrics imported from China, to aide her in making this incredibly gorgeous dress. Esme chooses a grey silk dress that has an overlay of a black floral pattern. It buttons up to the neck but has wider sleeves that taper as they reach the wrists. She is holding the dress against her, sashaying back and forth, watching the skirt swirl with her.

Unfortunately, the only dresses that were short and small enough to fit Alice were from my little cousin who was 12. The dress wasn't exactly styled for the right aged person. The fabric is a light baby blue with a black and grey rose pattern across. It has ruffled layers in the skirt, along with poufy sleeves that an adult would never have worn. I imagine Alice will alter the sleeves to be more form fitting and remove the lace around the ruffling to give it a more mature look.

"Alice, I won't be offended if you want to alter this dress. I know it's a vintage, practically priceless dress, but I want you to have it to do whatever you wish with it."

"Really? I hate to ruin such a beautiful masterpiece, but I don't want to look like a twelve year old at the ball." She pouts in a way that would get anyone to bend to her will, if I hadn't already.

"Really. It's no problem, Alice. In fact, the little girl that wore that dress was named Alice; so if you ask me, that's fate." Alice beams, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree. She starts squealing and takes the dress out of the room, running down the hall, presumably to her room where I imagine she has sewing materials.

"Do you think this would be good for Bella?" I ask holding up a midnight blue silk dress with a subdued leaf pattern embroidered across the bodice. "I know she likes simplicity." Esme and Rosalie both nod in agreement, stating it should fit her fairly well, too.

Alice comes racing back into the room, diving into a box and pulling out a yellow dress and matching parasol that I once wore to a debutant ball when I was fifteen. It has short sleeves made of Chantilly lace, and a large white rose centered at the bosom. It compliments the dress she chose very well and will be perfect for Beck. She darts back out of the room, new dress in tow and before long we hear the signature hum of her sewing machine starting up.

"How do you think Bella and Beck would feel about wearing corsets to authenticate the look? I understand none of you can wear them, as the corset would break before your body shape would alter at all. But I can wear one, and so can they. Thoughts?"

"If you tell Bella that it'll be tradition, she's all about that. I'm not sure about Beck though. You'd have to ask her. Don't let Alice ask her though. She's gotten good at resisting that pouty look. And Beck likes to say no just to be difficult."

For the next few days, Alice, Rosalie, Esme and I are thrown into decorating the house for the party. They want it to be as authentic as possible. Esme even pulls out some antique furniture she has stored away to transform each room into a circa 1850s look. I know the rest of the guests will not be dressing in this era. So it should be rather humorous to see people dressed as sexy red riding hoods and fairies sitting in a room that looks like it transported from a southern plantation home.

Every night Jasper eyes the mystery box as he lays with me in my bed. "When do I get to know what's in that box?" he asks.

"When you need to know," I always reply. He groans and complains and finally accepts that I won't budge. The exchange begins anew every night.

"Once you know what's in that box, whatever do you plan to pester me with every night?"


	6. Chapter 6

Warning - citrus ensues in this chapter

* * *

Chapter 6

Jasper PoV

The house has been transformed into an almost exact replica of one of the southern plantation houses one might find anywhere from Texas to Florida on up to Virginia, and anywhere in between. Opal's many antiques that she sent from her home combined with Esme's knack for finding similar items at auction houses, makes for a veritable smorgasbord of circa 1850 furniture, knick knacks, and of course the clothing. I never would have guessed that the boxes that Opal originally sent for would be dresses and suits. Some of them even from my own family, she'd said. Edward is wearing one of my suits; the one I used to escort my sister and Opal to a debutant ball in 1859. I don't recall the event, but Opal's detailed description of it has helped create an image of it in my mind.

Opal appears at my door, carrying the mystery box. She's dressed for the party, but the box is hiding most of her outfit from me. "Are you going to stare at me or let me in?" she asks. I step back allowing her to enter, taking note that she is definitely wearing a corset underneath the beautiful violet dress. "You look absolutely stunning," I whisper. She turns around after setting the box on my bed, her face beaming happiness.

"Really?" she asks.

"Yes. You're an absolute vision. Making me wish I could escort you to the debutant ball all over again."

"Oh I stumbled all over my own feet and yours that night, I was so nervous." Her face flushes at the memory, turning her ivory skin a lovely shade of pink rose.

"Why were you nervous?"

"That was the night I realized I loved you. I had no idea if you felt the same way, and in my attempt to impress you, I ended up making a fool of myself."

"I wish I remembered that night," I reply. "But I'm fairly certain I loved you far before that, and after that, and ever since, and will forevermore." With the smile on her face and twinkle in her beautiful sapphire eyes, I turn to the box she carried into the room.

I open the box and inside it, in pristine condition, is one of my uniforms from the confederate army. "How… how did you get this?"

"When you didn't return from the war, all your things were sent to your family. In the 1950s I was able to go there and acquire a bunch of things, including all the dresses and suits you'll see on everyone today. I had this stored away, hoping I could find your grave at some point and put it with you. But I guess I was keeping it so I could give it back to you."

"This is what I'm to wear tonight?" I ask, fingering the thick wool of the sleeves, delicately.

"If you like," Opal replies. "I am not going to pull an 'Alice' and tell you that you have to wear it or else, but I would certainly love to see you in it. It's been 150 years since I have."

"Well in that case, I'd better get changed," I reply, taking the box and heading into the en suite bathroom in my room. Opal stays in my room, I can tell, as I change. Once I return, she is standing at my desk, staring into my jewelry box where I keep the few things I've acquired over the years. One of them being the opal that she gave me. I see her grab the ring, that is suddenly not a ring anymore, but rather a pendant. And the crest has been removed. Alice.

"Alice had it made into a ring with the Cullen Crest on it. I didn't remember the stone's significance, so I had no objections to that. I guess when she figured out that's what the stone was, she went and had it unmade," I confess.

"Oh," she replies.

"You gave this to me to remember you by. And I forgot you. I'm so sorry," I whisper. She takes a deep breath before turning to me.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Jasper. We're together now. That's all that matters. Against all odds, we found our way back to each other. Do you truly believe coincidence is what brought you to my house that night with Tony, et al?"

"No, I've learned that coincidence is rarely coincidental."

"Thank you, Captain Jack Sparrow," she jokes, poking me in the ribs. "Here, let me help you with your jacket buttons." I watch as her slim fingers deftly button up my jacket. She pins the opal pendant to one of my lapels, smoothing her finger over the stone before sliding her hand down my arm to intertwine her fingers with mine.

"Aren't you going to come and bump elbows with all your high school buddies?"

"I'd rather just stay up here with you, but I suppose for the image's sake, we should make an appearance. And I know this may be forward, far too soon, and incredibly inappropriate, but I can't help but imagine what you look like without that dress on."

"Scarred, Jasper," she replies. "Very, very scarred. But yours, in every way."

"Well then we're two peas in a pod, my dear." I take her arm in mine and lead her out the door and down the steps. Everyone turns and stares at us as we descend. Of course, none of them recognize Opal, I should have realized that. I hope some sort of back story has been figured out. I introduce her to a few of the people that graduated high school with me. Lauren Mallory seems especially jealous of her, though she's jealous of everyone.

"I just love your hair!" Jessica Stanley muses, vapid as ever. "Come and meet everyone," she adds, pulling Opal out of my arm and across the room. Opal turns to give me a worried expression, but I shoot her some encouragement and head towards Emmett, who's dressed predictably as Davey Crockett.

Opal PoV

The party is going off perfectly. Esme dances around offering refreshments to everyone in the room, feigning it with the vampires. I suspect we'll be cleaning un touched hors d'oeuvres out of the potted plants in the morning. I notice Alice toss a couple bacon wrapped scallops into one as she chats with one of her former class mates. Bella, Beck and I make sure to sample absolutely everything on the menu, however, putting a significant dent in the food that the vampires won't eat.

Jessica has followed me around like a puppy. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she has a crush on me, but instead she keeps gushing about Edward and how she wishes she'd been bolder with him before Bella arrived. "He and I would be so great together," she muses, practically in tears. I stifle an eye-roll. I finally have a chance to get away from her by feigning a need for the facilities.

"Hi there, gorgeous," a clearly intoxicated young man states as he invades my personal bubble. I've just succeeded in evading that god awful Jessica Stanley, only to be practically groped by this yahoo. "I'm Mike. Mike Newton. What's your name?"

"Not," I reply.

"Not? Is that like short for something, or something?" Lovely vocabulary, Mike.

"No, just Not. And my last name is Interested." Let's see how long it takes him to figure that one out.

"So you're Not Intereste—oh, that's harsh," he complains, realizing my sort of cruel joke.

"Sorry, wouldn't you rather hear the truth than be strung along?" I ask before walking away to find Jasper. As soon as his arm wraps around me, I hear Mike whisper, "She's with a Cullen, figures."

"False, I'm with a Whitlock," I whisper into Jasper's ear. "Dance with me?" I ask. He smiles broadly and instantly sweeps me off my feet, twirling me around on the floor. Soon, the other couples in his family join us and we're dancing around each other flawlessly. I notice that Alice is leading Beck, which makes me chuckle. She's so tiny, yet so domineering.

A faster dance song starts and Alice yanks me out of Jasper's embrace. I pout back at him, but he chuckles, wanting to watch me dance with the girls, I imagine. Alice, Rosalie, Beck and I had been practicing this dance in the privacy of the Cullen basement every evening for the past few weeks. I tried to convince Bella to join us, but she kept feigning clumsiness, which I'm sure is all in her head.

The song starts and we start our fancy footwork. I had a hand in teaching these girls how to do a real square dance. We dance around each other, the boys hooting and hollering at us as we show off. Jasper claps to the music, but remains silent, a bemused smile on his face. I know that he's always been much more reserved, rarely shows how excited he truly is. As the song comes to a close, we all do one final dance move. Alice does a triple pirouette, flawlessly. Beck shuffles her feet, like an expert tap dancer, and completes a 360 jump, landing perfectly. Rosalie rises up on her toes like a ballerina, twirls around and lands with one arm arced elegantly above her head. I do a series of pencil turns followed by a leap through the air, executing a perfect split and landing on one foot, my other leg extended behind me.

Jasper's calm expression vanishes, in its place is one of shock and awe. Once the applause and curtsies are over, he rushes to me, picking me up and twirling me around in his strong embrace. He plants a firm, passionate kiss on my lips as he sets me on my feet.

"Can we leave this party yet?" he asks, breathless.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," I reply. He leads me out of the house and across the lawn. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," he replies. "You've been wondering where I go all day, right? You're about to have the answer." He hoists me into his arms, bridal style and leaps across the river. Once we clear through the trees, nestled against a hill is an adorable little cottage. It's made of stone, looking like it grew right out of the hill, somehow. "Esme's been restoring this cottage the past few years. I helped her speed up the process so you and I could have an escape from the family, if we ever wanted to."

"Are you serious?" I ask, completely bewildered. "This is ours?" he nods and presses the door open with his hand that's behind my shoulders. "Carrying me across the threshold? I thought that was only for newlyweds," I tease.

He chuckles. "Opal, I'd carry you every where for the rest of time," he coos, nuzzling my neck. "All you need to do is say the word."

"Jasper," I breathe as he sets me down on a cushy sofa. He slides to the opposite side of the couch to gaze at me. I'm completely unaware of our surroundings. I couldn't tell you if the lights are on, if there's a fireplace, let alone if there's a fire in it. My eyes and senses are completely focused on Jasper. "You're too far away," I complain, crawling across the couch to sit in his lap, straddling his hips. I haven't sat this way with him since that day in the theater room. I press my lips against his and he wraps his arms tightly around my waist, pressing me against his stone chest. My hands fist in his curly locks as he loosens his grip on me.

"Opal," he gasps as I press myself against him, attempting to get him to embrace me again. "What are you doing?"

"I want you, Jasper," I whisper.

"But I thought…" he trails off.

"You thought what?" I ask as I move my lips along his jaw, and down his neck.

"I thought based on what you've been through, that you wouldn't want that."

"Oh silly Jasper. It's only the singular thing I've dreamt about since the day you left. I wish every day that we hadn't been stuck in the morality of the 1860s and consummated our relationship long before we got married. There's nothing I wouldn't give to go back in time and have you be my first."

"That makes two of us," he replies. Oh yeah. Maria got her claws into him. Wench. "You're sure? You want to make love with me?" he asks, his eyes full of uncertainty and shyness.

"Yes, Jasper. Tonight. Right now," I confirm. He smiles against my lips and stands up, moving his arms down under my thighs to hold me tightly to him. He carries me over to what appears to be a small bedroom at the back of the tiny cottage. "Who lit the fire?" I ask, gazing into the fireplace with a roaring fire in it.

"Esme," he replies. "I thought you might want to get away from the party, perhaps spend the night here with me, but I had absolutely no expectations." I put my finger to his lips to quiet him.

"I know you didn't. Would you put me down please?" I ask. He does as I ask and I stand in front of him, gazing up into the golden pools in his eyes. His hands are planted firmly on my waist, as if he's afraid to venture north or south. I decide that I'm going to have to make all the moves, as he still thinks I don't really want this. I've never wanted anything so badly in my life. I know he won't hurt me, we're mates. Hurting me is like hurting himself.

"How do I go about getting you out of this dress, miss Maxwell?" he asks, his tone husky, seductive. I turn around and let him untie the ribbon at my waist, loosening the laces as he goes up. Once it's loose enough to shimmy out of, he helps pull the sleeves off my arms and pushes the bodice off my hips. I'm left in my corset and undergarments now. "More laces?" he asks. I giggle at him.

"It's authentic," I reply, shrugging. "But this one has clasps on the front," I add, turning around. He smoothes one finger down the front of my corset. I'm covered underneath it so once he takes it off, I'll still be decent. He undoes the clasps deftly and soon the corset joins my dress at my feet. I take in a deep breath, feeling freed from the confines of the brocade and boning. Jasper kneels down and begins to untie my shoes.

"So many laces," he complains. "Clothing today is so much easier. I have half a mind to just shred these to get them off of you."

"Down, Champ! Good things come to those who wait, my love." He smiles at me, his eyes twinkling as I feel they only will for me. Soon, my shoes join the pile of clothing on the floor. "You have entirely too many clothes on, Major."

"You called me Major," he states. I nod. "I like it. Do it again."

"Why Major, whatever do you mean?" I flirt, batting my eyelashes at him, throwing out my Texan accent. He nearly goes weak in the knees. Who knew I'd have _that_ much of an effect on him. I reach up and unbutton his jacket carefully, knowing the garment is a century and a half old, much like mine. Soon I have revealed his stone chest, tracing my fingers across every contour of muscle. Chiseled from marble, this man was made just for me. Once I have him down to his skivvies, he takes over, turning me around, and laying me gently onto the bed. We scoot back so we're resting against the pillows.

"Whatever happens tonight Opal, I want you to know, that I love you. I will never ever leave you, unless you ask me to."

"I'll never ask Jasper. I love you, too." He presses his cool lips to mine as his hand caresses my arm, my side, and my hip before pulling my body flush against his. My leg automatically wraps around his hip, anchoring myself to him. He reaches up to my shoulder, and pulls on the knot that holds the strap together. Once it's undone, it falls down, revealing my bosom to him. He looks down, eyes darkening as he appraises me.

"God, you're beautiful," Jasper whispers as he kisses down my neck and across my collarbone. At my plea, he leans down to kiss my exposed breast. I love that he's paying no negative attention to the scars that mar my body. Merely kissing them, as if taking away the memory of the pain I never felt receiving them. His lips feel wonderful against my heated skin. He leaves a fiery trail behind each kiss, lick, and caress. Oh how this man affects me. He undoes the tie on my other shoulder, sitting me up to allow the fabric to fall to my hips. He sets me astride him, so he can gaze upon me. His eyes follow his fingers as he explores every inch of my exposed skin. My breathing gets heavier, faster. My body is heating more and more, heading to some foreign land I've never known before. Is this what it will feel like to reach climax? Have I already climaxed? Every sensation has already been out of this world, I can't imagine it getting any better.

Jasper sits up abruptly, kissing the valley between my breasts. His hands cup them both, lifting them up, feeling the weight of them in his smooth palms. He bends his head down to kiss the warm skin. His tongue laves across my nipple causing it to harden and me to cry out. He looks up at me, alarmed. "No one's ever done that before."

"Do you not like it?" he asks, slightly disappointed.

"No, it was wonderful, Major. Please do it again," I request. He smirks at me, and leans in again to take my peak in his mouth. He gently sucks on the sensitive nub, flicking his tongue against it, causing my back to arc, pressing me harder into his mouth. I begin to feel the stirrings of his own excitement pressing against my core. His arms wrap around me, holding me tightly to him as his mouth assaults my breasts. I can tell he's being very careful to keep his teeth away from my skin. Ironically, his bite would be the only mark I would proudly wear on me. As a testament of my love for him. I want the world to know that I am his, and his alone.

I push against his shoulders, signaling I want him to lay back. He obliges immediately and I lean forward, pressing my chest against his. I kiss him passionately before licking and nipping along his jaw and neck. I kiss my way down his marble chest and stop when I reach the top of his knickers. His breath catches as I let my hair fan out across his chest, brushing it against him, back and forth. I do this to distract him while I move my hands to the buttons on his knickers, undoing them deftly. I am very anxious to see what has tented against the muslin of his undergarments.

Realizing what I've done, Jasper sits up suddenly, grabbing me and flipping us so he's on top of me now. "You think you get to make all the moves tonight, eh?" he teases. His lips travel down my torso to where my underclothes have gathered at my hips. His hands skim down my sides and hook around the fabric, pulling it down my hips, revealing myself to him. He gazes down upon me, making me feel slightly embarrassed and shy. I try crossing my legs and my arms across my chest to hide.

"Don't you dare hide yourself from me, Opal," he says as he gently unfolds my arms and straightens my legs. "You are the most beautiful thing on this earth. I can't believe you're mine." His fingers trail lightly up my legs from toe to hip, eliciting flames beneath my skin. How does his every touch set me on fire? Every other time I've been with a man, I've had this horrid fear instilled in me. Even after I stopped feeling the pain of their assault, I was still terrified. I've never known what desire feels like. Now I do, and I desire this man.

"Jasper, please," I beg.

"Please, what Opal? Tell me what you want," he replies.

"I want you to make love to me," I whisper back.

"I'm not sure what those horrid no good very bad excuses for vampires did to you, but I've got to make sure you're ready for me, Darlin'," He coos. His hand skims up my thigh, teasing my sensitive skin on the inner side. I arch my back on the bed once his fingers touch my core. "Oh, you're so ready. Just for me, right?" he whispers, as his fingers explore me in ways I've never felt before.

"Only you, Jasper. It's always been only you." He moves over me, leaning down to press his lips against mine. "Are you sure, Opal?" he asks as I feel him position himself at my entrance.

"Oh for heaven's sake, Jasper, yes!" I reply, pressing my heels into the back of his thighs, urging him to move forward and into me. He takes my gesture to heart and presses himself into me, ever so slowly. He leans forward, resting his head in the crook of my neck. I welcome him into me. For the first time ever, it doesn't feel like an invasion. It feels right, like he was meant to be connected to me, on this most intimate level.

"God, you feel amazing," he rasps. "So warm, so tight. I love you, Opal."

"Jasper, I love you, so much," I reply as I wrap my arms around him, holding him tightly to me as he moves to an unknown rhythm. "Please, more," I beg. He ups the tempo and increases the depth of his thrusts into me. I cry out in pleasure, a pleasure I never knew existed. Something deep within me begins to stir, to tremble. I can feel it building more and more with every thrust, caress and kiss Jasper and I share. I fist my fingers in his hair as he thrusts into me with abandon.

"Oh, god, Jasper. Yes!" I cry out, feeling the release that has been building up inside me. My muscles clench around him, milking his own release from him as he spills into me, crying out my name. _This_ is what an orgasm feels like. I totally get it now. He collapses on top of me, careful not to set all of his weight on me. "Oh wow, I never knew it could be like that."

"Are you saying I'm the best you've had?" he muses.

"Oh most definitely. I mean, I can honestly say I've never ever had an orgasm. I didn't know I was capable of it until just now."

"Oh Opal. If the life you lived wasn't horrible enough. Not a single orgasm in a hundred and fifty years?" he jokes. I slap his chest playfully.

"You didn't bite me," I whisper once we've settled into a comfortable bliss.

"Of course not!" he replies, his head snapping up to gaze at me. "Why would I do that?"

"Isn't that what mates often do when they climax? Bite each other?"

"You're not a vampire, Opal. I don't want to add to your scars. I know how much you hate them."

"While that's true, I wouldn't mind a scar that _you_ gave me. In fact, I want one." He looks at me as if I've sprouted a 2nd head. "Look, Jasper. Everything is different with you. Before, I was just an object that many vampires used for their own pleasure. Never loved, never cherished, never even cared for. I'd never been truly kissed before you."

"I suppose none of the dregs that assaulted you wanted that kind of intimacy," he replies, his voice pained.

"Well, that and they had no idea how to kiss a human. I constantly had bite marks on and around my lips." He tries to mask his gasp by clearing his throat. Though he knows that I'm fully aware that a vampire never has to clear his throat.

"You don't now," he says, tracing his cool fingers around my swollen lips.

"Yeah, when I got away from _that_ coven, I took care of the scars."

"What do you mean you 'took care' of them?" he asks. I take a deep breath, ready to divulge this rather gross process.

"As I mentioned a while back, vampire venom is the only thing that leaves a scar on my body. And the only way for me to get rid of any scars is to remove the scarred flesh or limb." I gaze at him to gauge his reaction. His eyes are alarmed, but his face remains calm. "It grows back, scar free."

"That has to be incredibly painful. Cutting out your own flesh? Or cutting off your own limb?"

"Well, now that I can't feel pain, it doesn't hurt at all; But the sensation of having something missing from your body is almost worse than the pain I should feel."

"I've had my share of limbs torn off, then reattached. I know exactly how you feel. But yours grow back? You don't have to reattach them?"

"I can reattach them if I do so before the growth starts; otherwise they'd reattach funny, or not at all."

"Can I ask how many arms and legs you've regrown?"

"Not as many as you might think. But that's why my left arm has significantly fewer scars than my right." I lift my arms to show the difference. "A few years ago, the coven that owned me punished me once by tearing off my arm. The leader thought he'd just leave it unattached for a while, then reattach it after he felt I'd learned my lesson. When my arm grew back, he figured that he probably shouldn't keep doing that, since he'd have an extra limb each time. And they never decompose, so if anyone ever dug it up, there'd be a lot of questions."

"They don't decompose?"

"No, they act as if they're still functioning, in a way. They don't move at all, nor is there any blood flow, but if you try and burn them, they blister and heal. Can't be turned to ash for some reason."

"Okay, so aside from the fact that you'd have fully intact limbs lying around, why not regrow them now? You'd be nearly scar free." His fingers absently trace the crescent shaped marks along my neck as he speaks.

"They're a reminder of where I've been. A place I never want to go again. It's dark there."

"You'll never have to again, my love. I promise. I will keep you safe until the end of time," he vows. I curl up into him, feeling spent and completely sated.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

JPoV

I lay with Opal wrapped in my arms. I never knew making love would feel this way. Probably because I never had done it before; I only thought I had. Maria acted like she loved me, even fooled me with her emotions, which is not easy to do, but it was never love. This is. Opal was put on this earth to be mine. She was made for me. I can't but agree with her reasoning that fate is what made me a vampire. She likely would have been immortal anyway, being a Silverblood. Note to self: research mythology on Silverbloods.

Why did she want me to bite her? Doesn't she have enough scars? My bite isn't all that distinct, there'd be no way to tell one from another. I guess she and I would both know, which is kinda hot. And the animalistic part of me is deadly curious to know what she actually tastes like, and wants to mark her as mine. If she tastes half as good as she smells, well there would be no contest. Not even Bella or Beck could compete.

She sleeps soundly, which is becoming more and more common with her. At first she would toss and turn a lot, and it would take large waves of calm and lethargy from me to get her to settle down. Now she can sleep through the night with little interruption, and little assistance from me. As she slumbers, I think about all she told me last night. She can re-grow limbs! Carlisle will be interested to find that out_. I wonder what would happen if she were decapitated. _

"You put me back together, I reanimate," she mumbles. I hadn't realized I'd said that last thought out loud. I pull her tighter to me.

"Has that happened to you, Darlin'?" I ask. She nods sleepily. Stretching and yawning, she turns to me and looks deeply into my eyes before beginning her story. I kiss her lightly on the lips to reassure her that nothing she tells me could ever scare or drive me away.

"It was another form of punishment. I was apparently making someone's mate jealous because she cut off my head in an attempt to rid her mate of me. He wouldn't want me any more if I was dead, she said just before doing it. I was in a weird limbo state for who knows how long. It could have been minutes, hours, weeks, years, I had no idea. Complete and total nothingness. I couldn't think, feel, hear, see, smell, or anything. I imagine that's what it would be like to die. I guess she had kept my head and body separate, and when her mate returned, he put me back together, as he would a vampire. It worked. After that, anytime I misbehaved or failed in an attempt to run away, they would decapitate me and keep me that way for a week or longer sometimes. The length of time mattered little, since I couldn't tell how long had passed when I was in that nothing state. That was worse than any bite, any violation, any beating or forced starvation that I ever endured. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy." She starts tearing up, but turns away from me as if to hide herself from me. I quickly turn her head back to me, staring into her deep sapphire eyes.

Once again, I am completely flabbergasted by this woman. The horrid things she's endured. "Oh Opal, I love you so much." I whisper, pulling her tightly to me, her face buried in my neck. "For as long as I exist, you shall never endure such cruelty again. I would walk through fire to keep you from that."

"Shall we get up?" she asks after her tears have stopped.

"If you wish," I reply. "Though I have no objection to staying in this bed all day."

"While that sounds like a lovely idea, I'd like to go help clean up from the party." She starts to get up and find her dress. I point at the dresser where an outfit has been laid out. One that doesn't include corsets and more laces than are truly necessary.

"I imagine that's already been taken care of, Darlin'." She shrugs into a pair of black panties and a matching bra. It takes every ounce of will power to not rip those garments right off of her and take her roughly. _She probably wouldn't like it that way._

"Wouldn't like what, what way?" she asks. Gah, I have got to stop thinking out loud. "Jasper, if we're going to be together, we have to communicate with each other. No secrets, no worries. Okay?" I nod in response.

"I was thinking about what you look like with those sexy panties on and I imagined ripping them off of you and taking you roughly. But given your history, you probably would prefer gentle love making."

"Jasper, honey. I love making love with you. Regardless of the way in which we go about it. Sometimes we'll want it slow and gentle, and sometimes we'll want to tear at each other like wild animals. I know you'll never hurt me, and I don't mean because I can't feel pain. I mean emotionally. I know there will never be a time that I feel as though you're taking advantage of me, or objectifying me, or using me. You love me; I can feel that. And I love you; you know I do. And here, I thought _I'd_ be the insecure one," she jokes.

"How is it that you know exactly what to say to quell all my worries?" I ask, cradling her precious face in my hands. She leans into one hand moves her hands up to caress the back of my fingers.

"Because I know you, Jasper. And when I say that, I mean I know your soul." She places her hand against my chest where my dead heart lies. Do I have a soul? "We've been connected since we were kids. Even though we were separated for a century and a half, no one knows you better than me, and don't let anyone tell you any different, eh?" My mind flashes to Maria. When she dropped in on us to visit a couple decades ago, she tried to lure me away saying no one knew me like she did. Feeling rather left out in this coven of vegetarians, I very nearly went with her. Alice was able to convince me to stay, sharing a vision she had of me reverting to my old ways. That was a life I knew I never wanted again.

"I only wish I could have found you sooner," I whisper as I pull her close to me.

"That makes two of us," she replies. "Let's go see what Esme's cooking for breakfast."

"A month in this house and you already know her so well."

"I can tell that she's a care giver, a true mother at heart. Regardless of her inability to bear children, she truly loves all of you as if she did carry you for nine months."

"She loves you too," I clarify. "You've certainly got all of us wrapped around your little finger, missy." I grab her hand and wrap my finger around her pinky, pulling it to my mouth to kiss the tip, gently.

Opal winks at me. "Don't worry, I won't let it go to my head."

"You go to my head," I reply. Then she starts singing as she continues dressing.

_You go to my head_

_You linger like a haunting refrain_

_And I find you spinning round in my brain_

_Like the bubbles in a glass of champagne…_

She trails off as she heads out the door and across the meadow like lawn in front of the cottage. "It's so beautiful here," she whispers. "This place is really ours?" her deep sapphire eyes look up into mine, full of love, wonder, and happiness.

"Yes, Darlin', it's ours," I reply, threading my finger through her auburn locks. "We can live out here all the time, if you like, or just use it for a weekend get away whenever we like."

"I like the idea of a weekend getaway," she replies. "I like the big house, and everyone in it, too." I smile at her response, I would have been happy with either decision. Though I can't say the same for everyone else in the family. They would likely feel that I was hogging her or something. Especially Alice.

When we get to the house, Esme is whirling around the kitchen, making pancakes, bacon and eggs, Carlisle leaning against the counter, watching her with wonder in his eyes. Bella is sitting at the counter watching Edward attempt to make fresh squeezed orange juice. He's getting more juice on the counter, on the floor, and all over him than in the carafe. Beck is standing clear of the line of fire with a very amused Alice standing in front of her. Beck's arms are wrapped affectionately around Alice's shoulders, and she presses a kiss to her hair, which makes Alice's eyes light up. Rosalie and Emmett are lost in each other in the adjoining sitting room.

Six weeks ago I would have hated this picture; I would have felt so left out. but now I'm a part of it. Opal and I will fit right into this scene, as if we were always meant to be in it.

"Edward, what on earth are you doing?" Opal asks as she sees the scene of a now drenched Bella trying to wipe sticky orange pulp off of her face. "Give me that carafe," she demands. Edward relinquishes the carafe and the bowl of halved oranges gladly, saying he has no business trying to make fresh squeezed juice.

"First, you need a cheesecloth, lest your juice be all pulp, which I'm not a huge fan of," Opal explains. She roots around in a cupboard until she finds what apparently is a cheesecloth. I thought those were only for cheese. Emmett echoes my thought out loud, to which Opal giggles and rolls her eyes at him. "Vampires," she admonishes under her breath, shaking her head.

She drapes the cheesecloth over the carafe and holds an orange half over it, squeezing it gently. "If you squeeze too hard too fast, it'll just spray everywhere, case in point," she continues gesturing to the sticky orange mess around the kitchen. While she continues to squeeze the juice, I retrieve a rag and begin cleaning up the mess Edward left in his wake.

A few minutes later, the carafe is full of fresh squeezed orange juice. Perfect timing for Beck and Bella to set the rarely used dining room table and for Esme to place her piping hot dishes in the center. Bella sits on one side, Edward taking the seat next to hers, Beck sits on another side, Alice mirroring Edward. I find a 3rd side to sit at and pull out a chair for Opal to sit. She gazes up at me completely confused. "Why are you sitting at the table? Planning on eating?" she asks.

"Just because we don't eat doesn't mean we can't join you, right?" I answer. "Unless of course, you'd rather I didn't," I add, not bothering to hide my pout. She reaches up and pecks my lips lightly and gestures for me to site beside her. I grab the serving platter piled high with pancakes and hand Opal the tongs, gesturing for her to help herself. She takes a large stack of pancakes and plops them onto her plate.

"Esme, would you happen to have any applesauce?" she asks. Bella and Beck look at her as if she's grown a third eye. Esme nods affectionately and scurries back into the kitchen to search the fridge. She returns with a jar of applesauce that boasts being super chunky and flavored with cinnamon. "Perfect, this is exactly the right kind. Thank you, Esme."

"You're very welcome, dear," Esme beams, so happy to be of help in anyway.

"What?" Opal asks when she sees Bella and Beck gaping at her as she spoons the apple sauce over the top of her pancakes. "I prefer this to syrup, so sue me." She shrugs. I rub soothing circles into her shoulder as she eats her breakfast.

"So now that the party is over and the house is back to the way it was before, whatever are we going to do to pass the time?" Opal asks. Edward glances at Bella who glances at Alice who glances at me. "Okay, I'll take that as there's something that you all know that I'm not yet aware of."

"Well you mentioned a while back that Bella and Beck could be made immortal by becoming like you rather than vampires," Edward states. Opal nods in reply. "We thought maybe we'd start the experimentation for that?" he asks. Opal nods and smiles as she finishes her glass of juice.

"Absolutely. Carlisle, I suggest you get blood and tissue samples from both Bella and Beck as well as from me, and I take it you either have one or can get a centrifuge and any other equipment we may need?" she asks. Carlisle nods and strides off to gather the necessary materials.

After helping Esme clean up the breakfast dishes, I follow Opal upstairs where she decides to shower and get ready to be poked and prodded by Carlisle. Her words, not mine. "You don't have to do this, you know."

"It's no problem, Jasper," she replies. "I want to help in any way I can, with anything I can help with. If Bella and Beck are dead set on becoming immortal, maybe being Silverbloods is preferable to being vampires. I can tell that Alice and Edward are rather partial to their scents." She winks at me as she disappears into the en suite bathroom in her bedroom. I retire to my room to give her some privacy. "Aren't you going to join me?" she calls out. I dash back into her room, stopping at the open bathroom door.

"What?" I ask.

"I thought we'd shower together," she suggests, peeking around the glass tile wall to gaze at me seductively. I discard my clothes at record speed and am soon encased in steam with her in the shower. Her hands roam over my torso, her lips kissing as many of my scars as she is able to. I wrap my arms around her pulling her close. My hand trails up her back, around her neck and grasps her chin to tilt her head up, giving me easier access to her lips.

All too soon, she pulls away from my greedy lips. "I want to taste you," she whispers. And before I process her words, she's on her knees in front of me, gripping my manhood tightly in her hand, causing me to groan deep in my chest. She licks her lips as she looks up at me from under her lashes and leans forward. I inhale sharply as her tongue makes contact with the sensitive tip. I grip the wall in an attempt to find purchase against anything as her mouth assaults me in the most glorious way.

Not even Maria ever did this. My goodness. Her mouth is so warm, so wet. She drags her teeth along me, eliciting a long hiss from me. She swirls her tongue around the tip before taking me all the way into her mouth. I feel the back of her throat before she pulls away. Did I feel her tonsils? Does she have tonsils? She begins to pump me in and out of her mouth, her hands on my hips to steady herself. One of my hands touches the top of her head gently, stroking her hair as she pleasures me with her mouth.

"Opal," I hiss through my teeth, "I'm about to…" I trail off as she starts sucking me tightly, milking my climax from me. I gaze down in wonder as she swallows every drop and licks up each side of the shaft, cleaning me off. She stands up and gazes at me shyly. "Wow, that was incredible, Darlin'," I breathe.

"Really?" she asks, looking all innocent and shy. "I've never done that before."

"I've never had it done before," I reply. Her eyes widen. "But I imagine that it doesn't get any better than that. Her cheeks redden and she smiles widely. "Allow me to return the favor?" I request.

"Um, okay," she replies, a tiny bit of fear in her tone. "No one's ever done that to me before."

"Well it's a day of firsts then, my love. You'll tell me if you don't like it or want me to stop, right?" she nods once. Rather than kneeling in front of her, I pick her up, and press her back against the shower wall. "Wrap your legs around my shoulders." She complies immediately, her fingers threading through my hair as I kiss up her inner thighs on each side. I can smell her arousal, and it smells like heaven. Tentatively, I kiss the top of her folds, noting how soft and sensitive the skin is there.

My tongue darts out to taste her, she inhales sharply and tightens her grip on my hair. "Oh yes," she breathes. I find the sensitive nub and concentrate my attention there, adding pressure and flicking my tongue quickly against it. She tastes divine. This must be as close as a vampire can get to heaven. It may even be better. I could do this all day every day and never tire of it. Holding up her body with one hand I take my other hand slowly push a finger inside her, curling it upwards to put pressure against the g-spot. She moans loudly and begins writhing against my face. I press my mouth tighter against her, kissing, licking and nipping, being sure to lap up all of her honey-like arousal.

I slide a second finger inside her, and almost immediately feel her walls tightening around my fingers, her orgasm pulsating through her. She collapses against my head, unable to hold her back straight against the shower wall. I gently slide her down and hold her tightly to me. Her arms wrap lazily around my waist, her head against my chest. "holy cow," she says after she's caught her breath. "Incredible." I smile against her hair, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Mr. Whitlock, are you ready for round two?" she asks, giggling as she wiggles her body against mine, my new erection pressing against her stomach.

"How could I not be after being turned on by your response to my… ministrations?" I ask. She smiles sweetly at me before turning around to turn off the water.

"No use in wasting water," she explains as she steps out of the shower, grabs two towels, handing me one and then gesturing for me to follow her out into the bedroom. I dash across the room and shut the door, not that it'd make much difference. Everyone in the house will have heard us, knowing exactly what we're up to. She climbs onto the bed and beckons me to her. I comply immediately and lay along side her, my hand tracing the line of her hip to her shoulder blade.

She pushes against my shoulder, silently asking me to lay on my back. As soon as I do, she straddles me and is hovering above me, putting herself into position. "Is this okay?" she asks. I nod enthusiastically, my hands holding her hips tightly. Ever so slowly she sinks herself down on me until I am fully sheathed inside her. She is so tight, I very nearly climax just from entering her. Her hands press into my chest as she moves atop me, setting her own rhythm. I lose myself in her eyes, watching her intently as she takes her pleasure from my body, giving me pleasure in return.

"God, Jasper," she moans. "Hold me tighter," she requests. I lean up and wrap my arms around her waist, pressing her body to mine as we move into a sitting position. She adjusts her legs to wrap around me and lets me do the work in moving our bodies to the rhythm she created. Her lips are all over me, on my lips, my cheeks, my neck, and my collar bone. I can feel her muscles contracting around me, signaling her impending release. Her fingers find their way into my hair as her climax nears and she pulls hard as her orgasm claims her, milking my own release from me in the process. I pull her tight against me as we ride out our pleasure together, slowing as the waves die down.

"Back to the shower," she mutters as she climbs off of me, making me instantly miss the warmth of her body wrapped around mine. "I'm going to actually get clean this time," she jokes. I giggle and follow her in, promising to wash her back for her.

Once we're clean and dressed for the day, we head down to Carlisle's study where Bella and Beck are having their blood samples taken. Bella's hand is over her nose, and she's deliberately breathing only through her mouth. Opal takes a look at the scene in front of us and turns to me in confusion.

"Bella is the definition of irony. She's a human who can smell blood, and it makes her ill," I explain. Everyone in the room snickers while Bella rolls her eyes.

"I've heard of that before," Opal replies. All eyes are on her. "Yeah, there was a human who hated the smell of blood this was probably sixty or so years ago, her name was Cara, I remember she had a twin named Marie," she continues. "Anyway, Cara was turned, and immediately they threw me into the room with her, all she did was dry heave the entire time. They then tried a normal human, and she had the same results. She said that she remembered being human and getting ill at the smell of blood. I never knew what happened to her after that. I just know that I never saw her again."

"Great aunt Cara?!" Beck exclaims.

"It can't be, that's way too much of a coincidence, Beck," Bella chastises, sounding all nasally with her nose plugged.

"What are you talking about?" Edward asks.

"Our grandmother's name was Marie. She had a twin sister named Cara, who disappeared many years ago. We never knew her, as she disappeared long before we were born. Evidently we look a lot like they did. I've seen a photo or two, and the resemblance is pretty uncanny. Plus, Bella gets sick at the smell of blood. I'm not overly fond of the sight of it. It's possible that we're related to the Cara that was turned."

"I wonder if she survived," I muse. "Opal, who was it that turned her?" I ask.

"Sir Raymond," she replies, malice in her tone. "Bastard that she is, probably just wanted Cara as another newborn for his army against Maria. Which means the likelihood of Cara having survived is slim. Especially if she felt no bloodlust for human blood. That was how Raymond kept his newborns happy. The promise of as much blood as they could ever want. Usually from me. A vampire that doesn't want it must have been something of a conundrum for him. He likely would have seen her as weak, and not worthy of his army."

Bella and Beck both flinch. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be so blunt." Opal looks down, feeling ashamed. I pull her to my side, wrap my arm tightly around her waist and kiss her hair. She quickly melts into me, all negative emotions gone.

Carlisle is placing the tubes of blood he drew from Bella into a centrifuge. He then moves on to Beck. Opal extracts herself from my iron grasp and takes a seat next to Bella, rolling up her sleeve so Carlisle can draw her blood as well. Bella tentatively reaches out, as if to touch Opal's arm. "Curious about my scars?" Opal asks.

"Er, yeah. I have one," Bella replies, turning up her right arm to show Opal the scar that James left on her that fateful day in Phoenix. "I was just wondering if yours are cool to the touch, too." Opal touches Bella's scar, confusion emanating off of her.

"She was attacked," Edward begins. "I sucked the venom back out of her wound," Edward explains, reading Opal's emotion through my thoughts.

"Imagine that," Opal marvels. She then places her arm in Bella's hand to allow her to touch Opal's scars. Bella marvels at the texture and that they are indeed a few degrees cooler than the un-scarred skin, of which there is little. Carlisle finishes with Beck, and moves on to Opal, who informs him to take as much as he needs. He proceeds to draw two pints worth, which he notes that should make a human pass out, but Opal reassures him that her blood replenishes itself as soon as it's lost; she has no time to feel the effects of any blood loss.

I'll admit, I half expected her blood to be a different color, but it is red, just like any other human. Which makes me wonder where the Silverblood title comes from. "That's the next thing we should research," Edward states, having listened to my thoughts.

"Opal, how much do you know about the Silverblood stories?" he asks her.

"Not a whole lot, just that it is the term given to immortal humans. It is said that my existence is to feed vampires, that I was created for that reason, and that reason alone. I think it's a bunch of hogwash, but that's all I've ever heard. Much of which I'm sure was told to me to ensure that I believe that being an oversized bag of blood was my life's purpose.

"Also, my blood type is O negative, so if anyone needs a transfusion or an organ donation, I'm your girl." The mood is immediately lightened by her statement.

"I appreciate that Opal, though I'm sure the hospital would wonder where I got a bunch of extra hearts, lungs and livers from. Besides, wouldn't they become immortal if they got a transplant or transfusion from you?"

"I don't think so," Opal replies. "I think it has to be a LOT of blood for it to alter their DNA to Silverblood status. I briefly lived in peace with a vampire named Veronica, and she never killed humans, though she didn't hunt animals either. She lived off of blood bags, never even drinking from me. Her human mate was a black market surgeon." Carlisle stares at her impassively. "Don't look at me like that, you know full well that many 'black market' doctors are perfectly legitimate and only want to help those that can't afford medical care, or are too far down the donation waiting list." Carlisle resumes his attentive expression, accepting her explanation. "Anyway, he had several patients that were on the organ donation waiting lists, but much too close to death to actually receive one in time, and I offered my services. He took a total of six lungs, two livers, some bone marrow, and four kidneys. Everything grew back within minutes of being harvested.

"Veronica was a master with computers and was able to make it seem like all of my organs came from different donors. She even fabricated death certificates and obituaries for the fake donors. None of the people that received my organs are immortal. Though I imagine if one person received many of my organs, that might affect them differently. The most any one of them got was both lungs."

"Simply fascinating," Carlisle marvels. "Tell me, what became of this Veronica?"

"Tony and his coven found out about me, having heard rumors of the Silverblood. They came for me while Veronica was out with her mate, and took me away. I have no idea what became of her. Tony kept telling me that he killed her just after draining her mate, but I don't know if I believe that or not. Part of me thinks he told me that so that I would lose any hope of her rescuing me. Not that it mattered anyway. I had stopped caring what happened to me when I learned that Jasper was dead."

I consider her words, not knowing when she learned I was dead. Did she assume that I came back from war and moved on with my life? She must have learned that I never came back, as she was able to procure items from my family's house. Who told her I had died? Edward hears my thoughts and tells Opal that I should probably hear the story.

Once Carlisle is finished with extracting Opal's blood, she leads me out of the room and back up to her bedroom. I join her on the bed and she regales me with the tale of how Maria got "ownership" of her and threatened to kill me if she ever disobeyed. And once Maria told her that I'd died of exhaustion at the ripe old age of seventy, she lost any will to go on. She stopped caring about anything or anyone.

"Then when I was with Veronica, she was able to help me get to my family's home, and subsequently, your family's. I learned through looking through the family records then that you never came back from the war and were presumed dead many years before Maria told me you were dead. It seems as though you and I were both under her thumb, and never even knew about it." I pull her into my arms, soothing her sadness away, showing her my love for her. Though, something is nagging at the back of my mind. Something tells me that now that she and I are together, Maria might rear her ugly head.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Opal PoV

In the days following the Halloween party, I have grown closer and closer to Jasper. He knows that Maria manipulated the both of us and he's hell bent on tearing her apart. I have tried to dismay him, which helps, but as soon as he's reminded of all she's done to the both of us, he gets angry all over again. He's been projecting said anger around the house so everyone is constantly on edge.

Add to that the fact that there apparently is a group of newborn vampires all sired by some crazed redhead named Victoria running rampant through Seattle. Jasper is practically freaking out every moment of the day, and by proxy, so am I. Evidently this Bitchtoria, as Emmett has started calling her, has a vendetta against Bella and Beck regarding her mate, James. Jasper and I decide to spend a couple nights in our cottage, away from the family. I choose this moment to ask him about it.

"So what's the deal with this Victoria character?" I ask.

"We killed her mate," he replies. "He was after Bella and Beck last year, and we killed him. According to Edward, he had some kind of a sick fantasy regarding human twins, and they smelled awfully good to him. He wanted to know if that myth about twins being able to sense each other's pain was real. Of course he wanted to test said myth in the cruelest ways possible. Victoria likely wants vengeance, and she feels that a mate for a mate is the best way to get what she wants. So she wants to kill Bella and Beck to get back at Edward and Alice, who had hands in James' demise."

"I don't think he was her mate," I say. Jasper looks at me quizzically. "Try and imagine if I were dead." His face pales and his eyes become haunted. "Exactly. When a vampire's mate dies, the surviving half of the pair goes into such a depression, they usually stop existing. Meaning they stop hunting, stop breathing, stop moving, and eventually turn to stone. I've seen it happen. Killing a vampire's mate is the worst possible thing you can do to another vampire. If this James truly was Victoria's mate, she should be beside herself with grief, not siring newborns and plotting to kill your family."

"I remember Edward saying something about James liking Victoria, as she was useful to him. But he never had any thoughts about a mating bond with her. And I remember feeling his emotions on the baseball field where we met. He was less than amused with us until he realized that not only did we have two humans in our midst, but that we would protect them with our own lives. Then it became the most excited game for him."

"If she's planning this attack, it might be a good idea to get Bella and Beck to start their transition to Silverbloods sooner rather than later." Jasper agrees with me, and we decide to head back to the big house to find out how Carlisle is progressing.

"This is amazing!" he exclaims as we walk into his study.

"Every sample that mixed of two parts Opal's blood and one part Bella or Beck's blood, altered! The DNA completely changed in every cell. I mean, it's still Bella's blood, but it has this extra gene in it, which I imagine is the Silverblood gene."

"That's great!" I reply, equaling his enthusiasm. "Listen, Jasper told me about this Victoria business and her army of newborns. Having both been well versed in newborn warfare, it might be a good idea to start Bella and Beck on transfusions soon. That way if by some chance Victoria or one of her minions manages to get past you, they'll have a defense."

"I'll never let Victoria near Bella," Edward hisses as he enters the room.

"I know that you'll do everything in your power to protect your mate, Edward," I say. "But you have to admit that even with careful planning and the use of Alice's gift, there's no guarantee that someone might get through. It's better to be prepared for that, don't you think? Yes, it'll mean that Bella will be forever 18 years old, but it's what she wants, right? And you've agreed to make her immortal.

"Opal, are you aware of these other anomalies in your DNA?" Carlisle asks, as he gazes upon an extreme magnification of my DNA. I shake my head at him.

"Well, it appears that vampire venom has also worked its way into your DNA, but not in such a way that it harms you. Tell me, have you ever experienced bouts of extreme strength, and/or speed?" I nod my head, knowing there is some truth to his words.

"The other night, she and I were in the woods, and she leapt over the river in a single bound. And she was running significantly faster than any human could," Jasper says.

"I started noticing that about 90 years ago. I crushed a jar in my hands by squeezing it a little too hard. I was able to lift things that were much heavier than any human my size should have been able to lift. I always wondered if the venom that entered my system had something to do with it, or if Silverbloods are just made to be extra durable like that."

"While that could be, the make up of these anomalies is very similar to that of our own DNA. I think that the venom either entering your bloodstream through a bite, or entering your body through... your reproductive system," Carlisle says tactfully, "has altered your DNA just enough to give you slight superhuman abilities. You also mentioned that your senses are keener than most humans. I imagine that's another side effect. As this doesn't seem to harm you in anyway, and hasn't harmed the blood samples here, I don't see how it should affect Bella or Beck negatively."

"The only way to know will be to try. I imagine you have some non-Silverblood blood waiting as a back up in case they react negatively to mine, yes?" Carlisle nods and points to a small fridge that's situated under his desk. "How do you feel about transfusing the blood directly from your vein into their bodies? That way, your blood will replace the blood that I'll remove of their own." I agree to his suggestion and tell him that I will be ready as soon as he likes. He suggests Friday night for the beginning.

Alice has already worked out a sleepover excuse for Bella and Beck to come over. Evidently, Charlie is more than okay with Alice's relationship with Beck, but is less approving of Bella and Edward. It likely boils down to Edward being a boy and boys only wanting one thing. Little does he know that Alice and Beck have done far more in that regard than Edward and Bella have. Jasper mentioned something about Edward's Victorian morals getting in the way. He wants to wait until Bella has his ring around her finger before taking her virginity. A fact that Bella is none too happy with.

I spare a glance at Jasper who looks to be just as on edge as ever. I hope he's not concerned about this whole thing. It will work, I truly believe that it will. He's got that look on his face that he doesn't want to talk about it, even though I know it's exactly what he needs to do. Instead, I decide to ignore him. I walk past him without even a good bye, without even responding to his question of where I am going. Esme is in the sitting room, reading a novel when I enter.

"Esme, would you be willing to take me to the market for some groceries?" I ask. She jumps up, grabs her purse and leads me out the door, a smile beaming on her porcelain face. She's so happy to be motherly in any way she possibly can. Having been without any kind of motherly love for so long, I'm only too happy to indulge her.

We speed down the road, towards the supermarket in town. With the others, I've been less than unsurprised at their love for fast cars, but with Esme, it's unsettling. Sensing my discomfort, she slows down to adhere to the speed limit. "Are you alright?" she asks.

"Yes, I'm fine. You didn't need to slow down. I guess I just didn't expect _you_ to love speeding as much as everyone else." She giggles.

"My dear Opal, they all got it from me," she replies as she presses on the gas pedal nearly breaking the sound barrier as we barrel down the highway. We arrive at the market in record time and make our way through the aisles at a much more leisurely pace. She asks me more about foods I like, and we discuss various methods of preparing meals. She's not as versed in southern cuisine and is very interested in introducing it into the meals that she cooks for Bella, Beck, and now me. I promise to give her my undivided attention in regards to teaching her all there is to know about southern home cooking.

Back at home, I'm in the middle of a lesson about how to properly fold bacon grease into biscuit batter when Jasper and Emmett come bounding into the room. Jasper scoops me up, throws me over his shoulder and leaps out the window without even saying hello. Before I know it, we're at the front door to our cottage and he's carrying me across the threshold yet again.

"You didn't let me say goodbye to Esme," I say once I've caught my breath.

"She'll get over it," he replies, growling lightly. He tosses me roughly onto the bed, something I thought he'd never do. Perhaps he finally heard me when I said he didn't always need to be so gentle with me. "You completely ignored me earlier. What's that about?" he growls into my ear as his hands roam all over me.

"You had that look on your face that means you don't want to talk about whatever's bothering you. Even though you know as well as I do that talking about it is exactly what you should do. But I know you're as stubborn as a mule hauling wagon tongues, so I chose not to talk to you at all. Besides, I needed some bonding time with Esme."

"You could have bonded with me," he pouts. His ministrations continue and soon, I feel his fingers at the button of my jeans.

"Slow down cowboy" I state as I wriggle out from underneath him. "First of all, you've had me all to yourself for almost the entire time I've been here. Secondly, I did need to bond with Esme. Perhaps it hasn't occurred, to you, but I've been without motherly affection for a century and a half. A girl needs her mother. And it would be a little odd for me to start calling you Mom, wouldn't you say?" He silences me with a kiss, and the topic is soon forgotten.

In my slumber I dream of being back in Texas with Jasper. He's by my side and there are a gaggle of auburn haired and tow headed children at our feet. This is what our life would have been like if I weren't a Silverblood and Jasper hadn't been turned into a vampire. But alas, monsters and magic do exist, they are real. And this is what we have to deal with. I'm happier than I've ever been in my entire existence, but I cant help but think about what might have been.

We'd have had a Jasper Junior, for sure, and he'd be as curly haired and as handsome as his father. We'd also likely name a daughter after my grandmother, Pearl. Another son would be named after Jasper's father, Carnell, and another daughter after my mother, Jade. Precious stone names ran in both our families.

But no, all of that had to be ruined by whatever force made Silverbloods and vampires a reality. And even if Jasper hadn't been turned, and I hadn't been kidnapped, we'd have had no normal life together. What man would want a woman who couldn't give him children? That was one of the sole purposes for getting married in my youth. If a woman couldn't bear her husband children, she was useless to him, and often cast out of the society. Jasper loved me of course, but I can't help but wonder what he'd have thought once he found out I would never get pregnant.

My dream takes a turn in which the children disappear from my sight and when I turn my concerned eyes to Jasper, his skin has paled from the sun kissed tan he used to always have to an alabaster cream. His eyes have changed from the bright blue I once knew to a burning crimson red. He saunters towards me, eying me like I'm his next meal. I back up away from him, trying to reason with him. "Jasper, it's me! It's your wife, Opal! Please stop, where are the children? What happened to the children?!" I scream.

I back up into something cold and hard, a pair of immortal arms wrapped around me, immobilizing me. I turn my head only to see the black curly tresses of the one vampire I loathe more than any other. "Jasper, my love. Don't you think she'd make a lovely addition to Victoria's little army?" she croons. Jasper smiles cruelly at me and leans into my neck, ready to take the first bite. As soon as his teeth connect with my skin, I wrench myself awake, screaming.

Jasper is there, comforting me, as much as he can, sending waves of calm towards me, holding me in his tight embrace. "Opal, Darlin'. What happened?"

"It's Maria," I reply, realization dawning on me.

"What's Maria?"

"Victoria is creating an army of newborns, yes?" I ask. He nods. "Who do you think told her about that?" His eyes widen, obviously not having thought of that before, which surprises me. "Most vampires know of the southern wars, but only that the Volturi stepped in and ended them. Most have no idea that there were covens using newborns as their pawns and soldiers. Only those involved would know that. And although it seems this Victoria is clever, I doubt she's _that_ clever. You all remember how unruly you were as newborns, no one would want responsibility over a large group of them unless they knew what they were getting into and possibly had some training."

"Oh, god, Opal. You're right! We've got to get back to the house." He scrambles out of bed, throwing on the first outfit he finds in the closet, throwing items at me in the process. I dress quickly and soon we're bounding through the trees towards the house. He lets me run on my own this time, somehow knowing that I'd need the release. Once inside, Jasper calls out to collect everyone in the sitting room. Alice had seen us running to the house and came home from Bella and Beck's house with Edward in tow. I relay my theory to the family, and am met with a lot of shocked faces, but they all agree with me.

"If Maria helped Victoria, she must know that we are here. Victoria would have name dropped Cullen at least once to her, I'm sure," Edward states.

"And if she knows Jasper is here, she'll come for him," I add. "And she'll see me, and try and take me back with her. I can't go back to that life! I just can't!" Jasper is holding me tightly to him again, reassuring me that he'd never let anything happen to me.

"If Maria is coming here, you can bet she'll bring some minions of her own," Jasper states. I nod in agreement. We all glance at Alice, whose eyes have glazed over, indicating she's having a vision.

"You're right, Jazz," she whispers. "I wasn't watching Maria, I could have seen this sooner. They're going for the poetic thanksgiving attack. Promising their newborns that the townspeople Forks will be their holiday feast once they help kill Bella and Beck. I can't see that Maria knows about your presence, Opal, nor what she'll decide once she sees you, but I have a feeling it won't be good."

"It's best we do get this procedure for Bella and Beck complete sooner rather than later," Carlisle interjects. "If we can successfully transform them into Silverbloods, we needn't worry about their getting hurt through this debacle."

Once we've decided on our plan of action, Edward and Alice bow out, to go fill their mates in on the plan. Jasper mentions to me that they used to try and spare all the vampire gory details from the twins, but after nearly losing them forever, they decided to always be one hundred percent honest with them. Keeping them in the know about absolutely everything. They realized that keeping their human mates in the dark was not keeping them safe. Bella has a tendency to want to do all she can to help, and when she's not fully informed, she improvises, and that often creates more trouble. Beck is similar in that she wants to help, but is even more stubborn than Bella is and won't be kept out of the loop.

Jasper PoV

Friday finally arrives and I am beside myself with worry. Opal has reassured me over and over again that nothing will go wrong, and it's not her I'm worried about. She's told me enough times now that it won't hurt her for me to finally accept it and believe it. It doesn't help though, that Edward and Alice are both worried about their mates making it through this. We have a back up to the back up plan, but still. All the tension in the house is wearing on me, and normally I'd just leave for a while until the situation is over, and the tension relieved, but Opal needs me here. I need her to need me here, anyway.

"You'll stay with me, right?" she asks, her eyes wide.

"Of course, Darlin," I reply. "I wouldn't dream of leaving your side. I thought you weren't worried about this."

"I'm not worried about the procedure itself, at all. I'm also not worried about me. It's you I'm worried about." I look at her quizzically. "I mean, I know you struggle with the bloodlust more than the others here, Edward and Alice are worried about Bella and Beck's blood being spilt, and whether or not they'll be able to control themselves. I know their bloodlust will cause yours to spike even more, so I'm worried about you. And I want you to know that if the bloodlust becomes too much for you to bear, don't leave. Just bite me. Even if it's not my blood that sets you off, I can't be harmed by your bite, okay? Consider me your safety net if the compulsion to drink and bite becomes too much.

Carlisle, Edward, Alice and Rosalie enter the room, followed by Bella and Beck who both are wearing sleeveless shirts for the procedure. Carlisle has stated that it may be best to sedate them for as long as possible, as we don't know what side effects this kind of transfusion might bring about. While he sets about preparing the anesthetic, Edward goes over the plan once more. "Okay, so plan A is that we'll replace 70% of the girls' blood with Opal's, in hopes that the immortality genes will take over, altering their DNA. We'll test that theory approximately 6 hours after the final transfusion by testing the spontaneous regeneration abilities." We all nod in agreement. "Plan B is to stop transfusing Opal's blood if they experience some kind of negative effects, and replace their lost blood with the donated blood in that fridge," he says pointing to the fridge that now sits between Opal's exam table and Bella's. "Plan C and the least desired of the three is to inject them with these venom filled syringes, thus beginning their transformation into vampires. Using a syringe bypasses the wording of the Cullen-Quileute treaty, which states that we can never bite a human."

"While the treaty implies we cannot change a human, it does not implicitly state that, and in this case we are taking liberties by taking the words literally rather than their inferred meaning. We of course hope that plan A will work perfectly." We all nod again, and by now Carlisle is ready to begin transfusing Opal's blood. Bella and Beck are each situated on their own hospital beds on either side of Opal. Carlisle begins by injecting both of them with the anesthetic, within a few moments, they are both unconscious. Edward spares a nervous glance at the heart monitor, even though we can all hear her perfectly even heart beat as clear as day, without the monitor. Rosalie assists Carlisle by tapping Bella's and Beck's arms to start removing their own blood.

Soon after, Carlisle has tapped each of Opal's arms and is threading the line into Bella's arm. He waits a moment to ensure that Bella's body seems to be accepting the blood before moving onto Beck. Once they're all hooked up, all there is to do is wait. Now that there's room, I take my vigil, sitting next to Opal, resting my arm on her thigh. Carlisle instructed me not to hold her hand as her squeezing her hand could result in the blood leaving her body at the wrong pace. So I settle for simply placing my hand on her, to maintain contact.

We pass the time by her telling me stories of our childhood. Evidently I was quite the troublemaker; but what young boy wasn't? every few minutes Carlisle takes a sample of the blood that is leaving Bella's and Beck's bodies to ensure that it's not Opal's blood that's being expelled. So far so good, he reports. Every positive report given by Carlisle causes Edward and Alice to relax minutely. Though they're still both ramrod still at their mates' sides, staring at their faces as if they're never going to see them again. Edward worries that if plan a fails and plan b fails, that plan c might fail too if they have too much of Opal's blood in their systems, and the venom won't actually work, because Opal cannot be turned.

"Edward, that doesn't make any sense," Opal assures him. "I can't change because I am a pure Silverblood. If plan a doesn't work, it means their bodies rejected my blood. We'd then transfuse normal human blood into their bodies, thus making what little of my blood that's still there, the minority. They'd have to be pure Silverbloods in order for your venom to be ineffective."

"I hope you're right, Opal," Edward says. "Alice can you see anything?"

"Not yet, no. It's still too early on to see the outcome. Besides, it's not like either of them will 'decide' to wake up a Silverblood. It's not something I can easily track."

"How are you feeling Opal?" Carlisle asks.

"Fine," she responds. "Maybe a bit hungry?" Esme strolls in the room a moment later holding a tray with some chicken noodle soup on it and crackers. As Opal's arms are occupied, I take up the task of helping her eat. "Now I feel like a child," she complains, pouting her lips in the cutest way ever.

We're three hours into the transfusion and everything seems to be going well. Bella and Beck have not stirred from their anesthesia despite the healing properties of Opal's DNA likely starting to take over. "Tell me again how you realized that wolf became like you?" I ask.

"I saw the deep wound across her eye heal not long after she finished her meal of my org—" Opal's words are cut off by an arc in Beck's heartbeat. She's panting heavily and beginning to sweat.

Carlisle remains calm and collected as he tests the lines for any signs of Beck's body rejecting Opal's blood. He moves fluidly around the bed, assessing everything, his face calculating.

"Carlisle, what's happening?" Alice demands.

"I'm not sure, everything seems to be fine," he replies.

"She's convulsing! Everything is NOT fine!" Alice moves to rip out the line, but Edward stops her, restraining her arms behind her back. I move from my place to between her and the bed to keep her from stopping the transfusion.

"Is she rejecting the DNA?" Alice cries out.

"No," Opal replies calmly. I turn to her to see her face just as calculating as Carlisle's. "Her body is healing itself. Carlisle, did Beck have any terminal conditions that you were aware of?" Opal asks.

Carlisle spares a glance at Alice before nodding nearly imperceptibly at Opal. Alice gapes at him, feeling betrayed. "What terminal condition?" she screeches.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Jasper PoV

"She had just recently been diagnosed with leukemia," Carlisle replies. All of our jaws drop. Opal frowns and nods sadly. Evidently, Beck had been keeping this to herself. "She asked me not to tell you until we knew for certain whether or not she could be cured. Then Opal arrived, and this plan came along, negating any need for cancer treatment."

"Edward, did you know?" Alice asks, her eyes pleading. He shakes his head.

"I had no idea. I don't even think Bella knew," he replies. Anger flares in Alice's emotions, followed by sorrow.

"What was her plan if this didn't work out?" she asks, gesturing to the line transferring Opal's immortal blood into her system.

"Become a vampire," Carlisle replied. If it turned out that treatment for her condition was futile, she made a deal with me that I'd turn her, if you were unwilling or unable to do so. Unlike Edward with Bella, you wanted her to be immortal, so she was banking on you wanting to do it. She had every intention of telling you all about her condition before asking you to turn her. She loves you, Alice. She didn't want to worry you until she knew exactly what she was up against." Beck's body has stopped thrashing about the bed, and she's calmed considerably.

"Silly girl," Alice mutters. "Always trying to take the weight of the world on her shoulders." Alice walks to Beck's side, smoothes her hair away and takes a towel to wipe away the sweat on her brow, kissing her forehead. "Don't think for a minute I'm going to let you get away with this," she whispers. Beck still appears to be unconscious though.

"Opal, how did you know that she would have a reaction like this?" Carlisle asks. All eyes shift to my mate. She squirms awkwardly on her bed, not liking to be the center of attention. I take her hand in mine, urging her to go on.

"When I was with Veronica and her human mate, he had a patient that was suffering from bone marrow cancer. When we transfused a couple pints of my blood into his body, the healing properties of my blood killed all the cancer cells at a rapid rate. He nearly died from healing so fast. His condition was much worse than Beck's though. I doubt her entire bloodstream has been riddled with cancer yet, am I right?"

"You're right," Carlisle replies. "We caught it relatively early on as far as leukemia goes, I was hopeful that we could treat her until such a time as she was ready to become a vampire. Your presence negates that though. When I ran the tests of your blood mixing with theirs, I noted that the cancer cells all died. Beck was ecstatic with that news. She had been worried that becoming a Silverblood would make her have leukemia forever. Luckily that appears to not be the case. But I had no idea that it would have this effect on her body. How much longer do you expect her to be in this state?"

"Not much longer, I don't think," Opal replies. "Look, her heart is already slowing to a normal pace. You've already transfused 3 liters of blood, we're nearing the seventy percent mark. Once the anesthesia wears off, they should be Silverbloods."

"Am I the only one who thought Opal's blood would actually be silver?" Emmett pipes in, after staring at the line coming out of Opal's arm. Like Bella and Beck, her blood is red. Opal giggles at Emmett.

"Big Brother, I'm not sure why we're called _Silver_bloods, but no, my blood is just the same color as any human's." Emmett pouts and walks away to give Carlisle more room to work.

Carlisle prepares a scalpel to test the regenerative properties of their skin once they wake up. If their skin heals quickly, then it will be a success. He measures the blood removed from their bodies to be about 70 percent of what they should have had running through their veins. That has now been replaced with Opal's blood. He's planning on donating Bella's clear blood to the hospital blood bank, Beck's will, of course, need to be discarded. While he finishes removing all the lines from the three patients, Rosalie collects Bella's blood and sets to work transferring it into pint-sized blood bags. People would ask questions if Carlisle strolled into the hospital with a vat of 4 plus liters of blood.

Bella is the first to stir. Her fingers start to twitch and her eyelids flutter open. Edward is at her side in an instant, holding her hand tightly in his. Her eyes find his, and she smiles. "Hello love," Edward says, smiling at his mate. She squeezes his hand and his face betrays his shock. "Bella! You're stronger!" he exclaims. Her brow furrows in confusion. "I actually felt that! I mean I felt the squeeze!" Carlisle runs through a myriad of questions, asking Bella how she feels, if her eyesight is any different.

"Actually, everything does seem to be a bit crisper, like I should have been wearing glasses all this time. And I feel like you're all louder than usual. Otherwise, I feel great. Like a picture of perfect health."

"So your senses seem to be heightened, and your strength has increased. This is not altogether a surprise, as Opal is able to do these things as well. I wonder if your coordination has improved at all," Carlisle says. He's waving tools in front of Bella's face, checking her eyesight and reflexes, I imagine.

"Why hasn't Beck woken up yet?" Bella asks.

"There was a minor complication, but don't worry, she appears to be just fine, and accepting Opal's blood just as well as you did, if not better," Carlisle assures her. "Now, shall we test your regenerative abilities?" he asks. She nods, but swallows thickly. She must be nervous. "Just avert your gaze and breathe through your mouth so you don't become ill."

Opal peers over me to watch Carlisle intently, curiosity and hope radiating off of her. Carlisle takes Bella's finger, and ever so carefully, slices a small cut through her fingertip. He is sure to use her non-dominant hand in case it doesn't work. Everyone has stopped breathing, not because of the freshly spilt blood, but because we all want to know if this is going to work. Bella's eyes are screwed shut, her breaths short and shallow through her mouth. Edward is gazing at her finger while stroking her hair. As we watch, the blood stops seeping out of the wound, and seemingly gets sucked back into her finger, and the wound closes cleanly, no scab, no scar, no evidence whatsoever that she'd been cut. Everyone exhales a collective sigh of relief. Carlisle smiles in thanks at Opal and goes to clean off the scalpel.

Edward races over to Opal's side and pulls her close to him, embracing her tightly. "I know we haven't spent much time together at all, but this truly makes you family now. Thank you so much," he says.

"You're most welcome, brother," she replies. "But she's not fully immortal yet." He releases her to look into her eyes, his mood questioning. "Well I mean, she hasn't stopped aging. One has to be hurt one too many times for the cells to stop aging when they regenerate. But even tiny things like paper cuts count." Everyone cringes at that remark, reminded of Bella's birthday not so long ago when Edward nearly left her. Thank god Beck was able to talk him out of that one. Opal looks at me confused, and I promise to explain later. "That cut just now counts as one, so I mean, if you wish to speed that up, and I imagine you will. Since you won't want to be much older than Edward for the rest of eternity, right?" Bella nods. "This is going to sound so wrong, but you could just injure yourself a few times a day. Granted, you'll feel the pain, since your pain receptors are still intact, but as you just learned, it only hurts for a few seconds. And every cut brings you closer to true immortality."

"Is that something you want to do, Bella?" Edward asks, his mood semi-worried. She nods enthusiastically.

"Edward, I want to spend the rest of forever with you, and I want us to be compatible in age. We can't do that if I don't stop aging until I'm 30 or 40 or older. I want to be immortal as soon as possible. If that means I have to carry around a pocket knife and slice my finger 20 times a day, then so be it." Edward's response is cut off by Beck stirring. Finally.

Alice never left her side, but she's leaning over more closely now, wanting to be the first thing Beck sees when she opens her eyes. "Hey beautiful," she whispers once her eyes flutter open.

"God, I love you, Beck. But I am so mad at you right now," Alice hisses.

"What? Why? What did I do?" Beck asks.

"You didn't tell me you had leukemia. Leukemia! How could you keep that from me?"

"How did you find out?" she asks, turning to glare at Carlisle.

"Never mind how I found out, Beck. Why didn't you tell me? We're supposed to share everything with each other."

"I know and I'm sorry." Beck looks down and away from Alice's penetrating gaze, her emotions showing how sad and ashamed she is. "I had no intention of keeping it from you forever. I just wanted to be fully informed of the situation before I told you. I was only just diagnosed a few days before Opal showed up. Then she started talking about making me and Bella like her so I decided to jump at that chance instead. And then we decided to do it now instead of waiting for graduation. We all got caught up in this whole Victoria mess that it just got put on the back burner. The most important thing to me was to find a way to be with you forever. That's all I want, Alice, is you. For as long as the earth spins, that's all I'll ever want."

"You silly, sweet, stupid girl," Alice croons as she pulls Beck in for a close hug.

"Alright Alice, stop monopolizing my patient," Carlisle chastises. Alice moves away to give Carlisle space to test Beck's abilities. She seems to have the same increase in the sensitivity of her hearing, eyesight, and strength. He tests her regenerative abilities just like he did Bella and thankfully, her cut healed in seconds. "Simply amazing." Opal gives Beck the same speech about injuring herself repeatedly every day to speed up the immortality process.

"How will we know for sure that we've stopped aging?" Bella asks.

"Carlisle should be able to note if your cells are aging by taking a sample every couple weeks, right?" Opal asks, turning her gaze to my father. He nods his agreement.

"As Opal stated, the more times your body is forced to regenerate, the sooner you'll stop aging. It's unfortunate that you'll have to feel the pain, but I can guarantee it won't be nearly as painful as becoming a vampire."

"A fair point, Carlisle," Opal agrees. "I remember when I could still feel pain, and would be bitten. Nothing hurt worse than vampire venom. Even though my body fought it off, and it only left behind a few scars and minor alterations to my DNA, it hurt like nothing ever before. Worse than being literally set on fire."

"Bella, can I cut off your arm and watch it grow back?" Emmett asks. Bella looks at him appalled, Rosalie smacks him upside the head, and Edward glares icily. Beck is chuckling lightly, still perched on her bed. "Aw, come on, don't act like you're not all crazy curious. You could cut it right above where James bit you. Then you wouldn't have that scar anymore. Right, Opal?"

"Ah, yes that's true. But Emmett, have you ever had a limb torn off?" Opal asks. Emmett's eyes widen and then he shakes his head. "Then you shouldn't be suggesting that to anyone until you've experienced it yourself. While our arms will grow back, and yours can be reattached, the feeling of losing a limb is rather awful. Even for me; I can't feel the pain of it, but the feeling of a missing limb is not really anything I can explain." I recall the night when she explained all this to me, and how disorienting it is to have missing arms.

"Also, you'd have to bury the arm cut off in a far away land with no hope of ever being found, because they don't decompose." Carlisle's ears perk up at that statement. Opal launches into a description of what happens when a Silverblood's limb is cut off and how the removed extremity retains all the characteristics of animated flesh minus the warmth and blood flow. She then describes decapitation to soothe the worries that Victoria might try to kill Bella and Beck that way. "Provided we can retrieve the heads, they'd be able to be put back together at any time."

"Why don't you and Edward start feeding from them then?" Emmett asks, which earns another round of glares and a smack to his head. "Ow! What the hell? Like you're all not thinking these things. Opal, hasn't Jasper tried to drink you yet?"

"No he hasn't," she replies, leaving out the fact that she's offered herself to me that way. "You'd know because his eyes would be red. And so would Edwards or Alice's if they drank from one of us. Our blood is still human, it affects vampires the same as any non immortal human's would. Plus, it would burn like hell before the wound healed. So unless Edward and Alice want to inflict pain on their mates, and said mates want to receive that amount of pain, then I would advise against it. And I don't think y'all are into that whole sadomasochism thing," Opal explains. "Also, they'd have to wear color contacts any time they go out, so as not to freak out the normals."

Emmett starts pouting and moves to a chair in the corner. Edward is still wincing at his thoughts. "If you all don't mind, I'd like to take my mate for some time alone," Alice says, reaching out for Beck, who hops off the bed and follows the pixie out with a devious grin. Bella and Edward follow suit, though we all know their version of private time is reserved for chaste kisses and conversations. Though, now that Bella is far less breakable, maybe she'll be able to take some of the prudish tendencies out of her mate.

"Opal, how are you feeling?" Carlisle asks. He puts his hand against her forehead and examines her eyes rather closely. Must be a habitual thing for a doctor.

"Fine, thank you. Nothing I'm not used to. Only, it's usually teeth instead of transfusion needles," she jokes. Minus the two newly created Silverbloods and their other halves, the rest of us leaves the study and heads down to the living room for a quiet night in. Emmett turns on the television which immediately starts broadcasting news of a massacre taking place in Seattle. "She's getting reckless," Opal states. "You have to corral them far away from populated areas if you're going to remain undetected. Maria must not have told her much." Opal's thoughts remain pensive as we listen to the rest of the newscast.

"Do you think Maria would have deliberately left that rather important bit out to ensure that the Volturi would make their presence known?" she suggests. "There's no way they aren't aware of this. And they also know that you all are in this area too, right?" Carlisle nods. "Then it would seem that the Volturi are under the idea that the world might be a better place with one less coven of vegetarians in it."

After some more deliberation and confirmation from Alice that Victoria is bringing roughly 20 newborns, and Maria bringing twelve, we're going to need some outside help. Bella contacts the pack, albeit reluctantly, to consign their help. I decide to help quell her worries. She hates to be a burden, to ask others to come to her rescue, but it isn't only about her. Not this time. "This isn't only about protecting you Bella. It's about stopping the madness that's ravaging Seattle, putting a severe dent in the populous there. It's about protecting the town from nearly three dozen crazed newborns, and it's about keeping this family intact. I have seen far too many battles to know that thirty two against seven is practically a death sentence for the smaller group. Even if we have the upper hand in the skill department. I mean, I doubt Victoria has trained her recruits at all. Maria's army will be freshly made, but trained. Trained in all the ways I trained them when I was with her. They're hard to contain, but Maria's gift is whipping them into shape, threatening them when they get out of line, and making examples of the ones that do.

"We should also call the Denali clan, and see if they'd be willing to help. That'd be ten wolves, seven Cullens and six Denalis with the newly vegetarian converted Laurent ready to be near humans again. And he harbors no emotions for Victoria, that much I know. He'd just as soon see her as a pile of ash as we would. He said she threatened their way of life on more than one occasion by making a spectacle of herself." Esme leaves the room to make the call, her being the easiest to convince them to aide us. Not many would ever turn down Esme. I think her gift is the power of persuasion, but she'd never agree with that assessment, and Eleazer refuses to confirm or deny it.

The weekend passes by with little drama. Bella and Beck are routinely taking pocket knives to their skin in an effort to speed up their immortality. Bella even more so that Beck. She has this horrid aversion to being physically older than Edward. Any more than she already is. That was a large topic of discussion when she and Beck turned eighteen a couple months ago. I thought we'd never hear the end of it. Esme telling her that she's physically three years older than Carlisle seemed to quell some of her worry, but I could tell it still hasn't completely gone away.

Opal PoV

After the successful transformation of Bella and Beck into Silverbloods, I've taken it upon myself to train them in the best way that I know how. I made Jasper take Edward and Alice hunting as I know they don't approve of any of us being present in the clearing that Alice saw the fight in. But we have to be there. It's the only way to lure the newborns in and keep the fight in one place.

"It is possible for one of us to defeat a vampire, albeit very difficult. I'll start by giving each of you one of these," I say by handing them both a leather rope with a dagger like blade hanging from it. I retrieve my own from my trunk and put it around my neck to demonstrate. They follow suit, asking what it is. "It's a werewolf claw," I explain. Bella looks at me appalled. "Not one of your shape shifter friends, Bella. I mean a real life werewolf. One that is affected by the phases of the moon. The Volturi call them Children of the Moon, and they were hunted nearly to extinction a few hundred years ago. Few remain. A witchdoctor in new Orleans helped me to procure these quite a few years ago, when I was on the run. He never told me how or where he got them, but demonstrated their effectiveness."

"I wanna see!" Emmett bellows as he comes bounding in the room. I hold the claw up to his face which immediately has him cowering in the corner like a mouse.

"See, just the scent of it scares them. Because the scent of blood is the most powerful of all, the newborns may not smell these right away. Otherwise, you'd both have a radius of about 20 feet around you in which they'd never even breach because of these things alone. However, newborns are entirely consumed by bloodlust. As soon as they smell us on the field, they'll be in a frenzy. And therefore easy to kill, as they won't care about anything else but getting to us as fast as possible.

"I doubt that Edward, Alice, and Jasper, let alone the rest of the family will let anyone within a hundred yards of us, but I wanted to have all of our bases covered, just in case." They nod their agreement. "Especially when dealing with Maria, you can never be too prepared. Now, Emmett, if you wouldn't mind giving me your hand, I'd like to demonstrate how to use one of these. I promise your skin will heal." He gives me his hand reluctantly, still cringing away from the claw in my hand. Though he's still very curious; Jasper can probably feel it from wherever he is in the forest.

Ever so lightly, so as not to cause permanent damage, I drag the claw across Emmett's palm. Bella and Beck look on in awe as they see the fissures in Emmett's skin and the venom seeping out of the wound. Emmett is growling in pain as I complete my sweep across his hand. Almost immediately, the wound heals and shows no trace of the cut. "I used barely any pressure and managed to slice open his hand. If you use your newfound Silverblood strength, you'll be able to slice a vampire from navel to nose with ease. The pain will be so intense it'd be easy to either get away or continue the job and kill them. Or one of our allies will assist with the rest. Be careful with these though, they can damage vampire skin permanently if the wound is too deep, so try not to engage in any knife play with Edward or Alice. Especially if they're dipped in this." I hold up a vial that is filled with a viscous green liquid. "this is werewolf saliva, a poison to vampires. It's also what turns humans into children of the moon. We can't be affected by it, but vampires certainly can. If you can, dip your claws in this and any vampire that gets even a drop of it in a cut on their skin will be ash in minutes."

"Why didn't you use these things against the vampires that have basically enslaved you for the past century and a half?" Emmett asks as he examines his hand, searching for any remaining injured parts. "And that effing stings, you could have warned me."

"Sorry Em, but I didn't want to risk you saying no. They needed to see a demonstration; and I did promise that you'd heal. Also, I didn't acquire these until about 50 years ago, and by then, I truly didn't care what happened to me anymore. I knew I didn't want to get put into a situation where I'd be beaten and raped on a repeated basis, so I thought I'd use them to prevent that. And it has been very effective. As far as covens like troy's who never really harmed me other than restricting my diet, social life, and dictating where I live, I was fine with that. Until you all showed me this way of life, I thought a Silverblood truly was put on this earth only to be sustenance for vampires, and nothing more. I'd accepted that as my lot in life. Now that I have Jasper again and know another way of life, there's no chance in hell that I'd ever go back to that way."

I hand Bella and Beck each a vial of werewolf saliva and a leather pouch they can store the items in until the day of the battle. Alice hasn't been able to nail down an exact day, but if the path of unexplained murders and missing persons heading this way from Mexico City is any indication, Maria and her lot are on their way. Eleazer and his clan are slated to arrive tomorrow, and we'll start training with them and the wolves tomorrow night. Jasper, Eleazer, and I will be the leaders in the training, all having had experience with battles or dealing with newborns.

When Esme called Carmen, she left out the fact that Bella and Beck are now Silverbloods, electing instead for them to be told when they arrive. Bella hasn't told her pack friends yet either, unsure of how they'll react to the news. Beck is optimistic, but Bella tends to take on a different outlook on the topic. Only time will tell.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Opal PoV

After much hissing and growling on our mates' parts, and much bitching and moaning on our parts, Bella, Beck and I are going with the family to the clearing where they play the vampire version of baseball. It is nearing midnight, and the wolves from La Push will be meeting us there. I don't know why Jasper threw such a hissy fit, especially when it had already been decided that I would help train the wolves. "You already trained Bella and Beck against our wishes. You don't need to needlessly put yourselves in harm's way. " I open my mouth to protest, but he places a cool finger against my lips. "I know you can't 'be harmed' but still the idea of someone hurting you regardless of whether or not you can feel it makes me uneasy."

"How about I promise to pummel anyone who does?" I reply. I had been mostly joking, but the look on Jasper's face tells me that's exactly what he'd like me to do. "Okay, if anyone so much as scratches me, they'll be eternally sorry. Deal?" he smiles and pulls me into him for a tight embrace and a searing kiss to seal the deal.

An hour later, we are standing in a loose semi circle, awaiting the wolves' arrival. The Denali coven has met us here, and are standing with us, Kate to my immediate left. She's burning with curiosity about whether or not her gift will work on me, or so Jasper tells me. I reach out to let her touch me. I feel the cold of her skin against mine, but no electric type shock that's supposed to go with it. She tries with Bella and Beck and gets the same results. Of course, she thinks they're still normal humans. "Those two have a gift, my brain is just defective," I explain.

"You're far from defective," Jasper whispers to me, his tone indicating that he's upset that I've put myself down.

"If I wasn't defective, the last ninety years would have been as unbearable as the first fifty. Trust me, I'm glad whatsherface damaged my pain receptors." He accepts my explanation and kisses my forehead, likely for the last time until the wolves leave.

"They're here," Edward says, likely translating for the wolves. "They'll stay in wolf form as that's how they'll fight. They also don't trust us enough to be in human form." I roll my eyes at that statement. If anything, the Cullens have proven to be allies to the human race and to the wolves, not mortal enemies.

"Why is Buffy here?" Edward translates before looking to me in confusion.

"I may or may not have informed several of them that I kill vampires," I whisper low enough that the wolves can't here me. Emmett chuckles lightly before sobering immediately when I tap the claw that's dangling around my neck. He gulps audibly then turns back to the wolves' arrival through the trees.

"She's fighting with us," Edward replies. "We all want to rid the world of these newborns and their creators, so we have a mutual enemy. Turns out, _Buffy_ here, or Opal as we know her, has a score to settle with one of the creators. Jasper, too."

"Thank you all for joining us," Carlisle begins. "Not just for training with us tonight, but for fighting against our mutual enemy. I know this does not begin to mend the centuries old rivalry between us, but know that we will always honor this event and consider you allies of our own, and should the need ever arise, we will not hesitate to help you."

"We're here to protect our tribe and the town," Edward translates. "Nothing more." A russet wolf barks angrily at a black wolf, who must be the leader. "And to protect Bella and Beck, as they are our friends, too." The black wolf rolls his eyes and growls lightly at the russet wolf.

"That by itself is more than we could have asked for," Carlisle replies. "Jasper, would you like to begin the training?" Carlisle gestures to Jasper.

"Shall we begin?" Jasper asks stepping forward after casting an affectionate glance at me. I hope he isn't projecting that at anyone but me, or the wolves will know what we are to each other. I'd like nothing more than to shout from a mountain top that I am his mate, but that might not bode so well with the wolves, and wanting to keep them on our side for the time being. Bella waves at the large russet colored wolf that I can only now assume is her friend Jacob. He snorts in response and scratches his claws against the ground. It looks like he wants to come over here and sit by her, but isn't being allowed to.

Jasper turns to Emmett and beckons him to his side. "Emmett is going to simulate what an attack from a newborn will be like. They rely on their strength and speed, having little fighting skill." Emmett rushes at Jasper and tries to get his arms around his waist. Jasper moves to the side just as Emmett would have made contact. Emmett loses his coordination and barrels into a boulder, sending shrapnel and rock dust everywhere. "Remember to never let them get their arms around you. We're strong, but newborns are stronger for their first year. And I gather none of these newborns will be more than a few weeks old, two months at the oldest." One of the wolves yips in confusion.

"When vampires are freshly turned, they still have their human blood lingering in their tissues, making them stronger than those of us that have been around a while. This is why we need skill and numbers against them."

"Always try to go two on one whenever possible, and never turn your back on them. Until you know they're as good as ash. Bella, Beck and Opal will be here in the clearing with us, to assist in luring them in. They will be safe, we've made measures to ensure that. They also will assist in setting the pyres for each vampire we take out.

"There will be two older vampires that are the leaders and creators of the newborn armies. Victoria, the red head, that many of you are familiar with. And Maria, she's from Mexico, has black hair and will be the most vicious of all of them. Try to not engage any vampire alone, but especially not these two. Victoria has a knack for evasion and she will find a way out of any fight with any of us, but not before injuring someone severely. Maria is the one that trained me. She taught me everything I know about how to kill vampires, so she will be especially hard to kill. Do not underestimate either of them. If it seems like they're faltering or making mistakes, they're faking it. Believe me."

The wolves growl in defiance, indicating they don't like the way he's insinuating they won't be able to take out any vamp that crosses their path. "Now is not the time to be cocky," Jasper warns. "This is not a competition over who can kill the most vampires, this is to save Bella and Beck, the town, and the tribe from certain and imminent demise. If Victoria or Maria win, they will not stop at defeating us, they will only consider the battle fully over once they've destroyed everything and everyone that we all hold near and dear. Now, please pay attention closely, as you will need to apply these skills in your own way."

After Jasper shows Emmett exactly what not to do, Carlisle, Edward, Rosalie, Alice and Esme take their turns. None of them is able to best Jasper, though Edward and Alice come close. They have their own advantages though, and they will come in handy in the battle. I only hope that Maria is not aware of Alice and Edward's gifts. That will make them even more of a target than I am.

"Now I know that many of you are worried about your mates and the rest of your tribe back on your reservation, and that you plan to have at least two wolves stay behind to protect them. Opal here, has additional protection available." Jasper gestures for me to join him. I bring along my duffle bag of anti-vampire accessories and begin laying them out.

"I'm sure many of you are under the assumption that you are what the supernatural world calls werewolves. This is not true," I begin, and am met with a cacophony of growls and howls to contradict me. "If you'll please allow me to continue," I say sternly. "Now, you are not werewolves, but rather shape shifters. True werewolves are bound by the phases of the moon, and yes they do exist, though I gather there even more rare than you are by now. You all are able to phase whenever you like, regardless of the moon, and by definition are not werewolves. I've met other shape shifters like you throughout my travels. Not all wolves, but all share the same traits of being much larger than the animals you emulate, and the ability to phase back and forth as you please.

"Throughout my time, I've been able to acquire several things that have aided me in defeating and killing vampires. These are some examples," I continue. "I have here several werewolf claws and fangs. I know not how the man that gave them to me came to acquire them, but I do know they are very effective in cutting vampire skin." One of the wolves slinks closer to get a better look. "I also have these vials of werewolf saliva. If the fang or claw is dipped in this before stabbing a vampire, the saliva is poisonous to them, and they will be a pile of ash within minutes. But be careful with this as it is the werewolf saliva that turns humans into werewolves. Do not let it get into an open cut. You all are likely as immune to it as I am, but your human mates will not be.

"Even if your mates are only able to stab them with the blades, with no saliva, the vampire would be in excruciating pain, allowing them to continue cutting it to pieces or giving them enough time to get away. Once their skin is cut, venom will begin to seep out. As I'm sure you're aware, vampire venom is _very_ flammable. I have these lighters as well that can aide in setting the vampires alight. I offer these to you to give to either your elders, your mates or whomever you deem fit to wield them." As I am collecting the items to put back in the duffle, one of the wolves phases to human form, and pulls on a pair of shorts with practiced speed and grace.

"Thank you," he says, holding his hand out to me. I grasp it briefly, noting how much warmer he is than I. "I'm Sam, the pack's alpha. My brothers mentioned meeting you recently; their memory of you is much different than what we see today."

"They threatened and insulted me," I reply. "I don't take kindly to either of those." I spare a glance at one of the wolves that I remember from that night and give him a solid death glare. He ducks his head submissively and it's all I can do to contain my smirk.

"Well I can say that we were previously unaware of the existence of slayers, and true werewolves for that matter." Sam picks up one of the fangs, and turns it over and over in his hand, his face painted with curiosity.

"Werewolves look a lot like you all do, but they're not as big, and they're mangy looking. You are all replicas of the animals your histories say you descend from, just much bigger versions. Werewolves are something else altogether. They are unruly, savage beasts that kill everything in their path, humans and vampires alike. They decimate villages, forests and only when the dawn breaks on a morning after a full moon are they able to escape their curse for another moon cycle."

"You speak as if you know," Sam says.

"I do, I've met my fair share of them. My fair share being one. I'd never bestow that upon even my worst enemy… well maybe my worst, but no one else. He tore my arm and leg off and chewed my torso down to the bone before the dawn broke. The only saving grace was that no humans had to die that night."

"This doesn't look very sharp," Sam observes, pointing the tip of the claw into his finger.

"that doesn't matter," I reply. "It's strong enough to slice through vampire skin either by the strength of the material or the magic behind it.

"He wants a demonstration," Jasper says, reading Sam's desire and curiosity, I imagine. Not that it wasn't obvious. "Emmett is less than enthusiastic about doing it again, but I am no stranger to pain, and endlessly curious of course." He pushes his sleeves up his arms to allow me access. Sam eyes the multitude of scars on Jasper's arms and realizes that he is not a vampire to be trifled with. Jasper smirks, reading Sam's emotions again.

"I won't use the saliva, as that would kill you. You've proven quite useful, so I think we'll keep you around." Jasper will know I'm joking, but he also knows it's important to me that the wolves think I remain impassive in regards to vampires. I take his hand in mine, and can feel the love pouring through him and into me. It's the only way he can show it right now. I feel bad for asking him to reign in his feelings for me, but he promised that he understood my reasoning.

"I'll just lightly drag it across his palm to show you how easy it is to do damage," I say to Sam. "Do the others want a closer look, too?" I ask, peeking up from Jasper's hand to glance at the other wolves.

"They'll be able to see it in my thoughts later," he replies. I remember Edward mentioning something about a combined pack psyche, that they can all read each other's thoughts in wolf form. Fascinating, that.

I drag the blade across Jasper's palm, eying him carefully as he winces in pain. I hold back my own wince, hating inflicting pain on my love. "There, you see the venom seeping out of the wound. As I mentioned before, it's very flammable. So even a single slice with this and a lit match will severely injure or even end one of them." The wound knits itself back together and Jasper shakes his hand, trying to rid himself of the sting.

"Thank you again," same says, slinging the duffle over his shoulder. "I know my fiancé will be happy to have this extra bit of protection, and I'll be able to fight with a clearer head, knowing she's safe."

"That was my intention," I reply. "And I'm only too happy to help." I give him a smile.

Jasper and I turn and walk away from Sam, as he heads back to his pack.

"That's worse than a bite," Jasper hisses. "Now I know why Emmett didn't want to volunteer twice." I reach out and take his hand, kissing his palm lightly. Jasper inhales sharply as I realize my mistake. I hear the sound of a wolf phasing and shorts being pulled on. I turn and see the same hot headed jerk that insulted me in the woods so many weeks ago.

"I knew it," he hollers at me, pointing an accusatory finger in my direction. "You're a leech lover! Just like Bella and Beck! You're a disgrace! How dare you call yourself a slayer, when you're screwing one of them. How can you? They reek of death! Especially this one! Besides, he's damaged goods. Just look at all his scars." That's the last straw. I drop Jasper's hand and lunge at the wolf, landing on his back before he can phase.

Jasper PoV

"Have care how you speak to me and my family, mongrel." Opal says, grabbing Paul by the ear and pulling him down to the ground. She kneels on him, digging her knee into his sternum. He winces in pain. "I'm stronger than you," she grits through her teeth. "And unlike you, I cannot be killed. So if you have any kind of self preservation, you'll keep your mouth shut in my presence, and that smirk off your face, or so help me, I will slap it off of you. Permanently."

"She's being sincere, Paul," I say, trying possibly in vain to save the young pup's manhood. I have no doubt that Opal truly will make good on her threat from the woods of placing his testicles in his throat. I swallow convulsively at the thought of that. Ew. I glance at Rosalie who is smiling smugly at the exchange between Opal and Paul. Opal had already grown on Rosalie after she learned that they shared a similar history, but now even more so. Rosalie is fiercely protective of this family, and seeing Opal react the exact same way she would, makes her feel proud to have Opal as a part of it. She shoves her knee further into his sternum causing him to growl in pain. He looks around frantically at his brothers for any kind of support, but they all know he messed up. Big time. This is his own battle to deal with on his own.

"Yes I am _with_ him," she hisses. "I knew him when he was a human, and while he is now a creature that I despise, I love him still. And his family. They are not like other vampires, and you damn well know it." She punctuates her words by digging her fingers into his shoulder, immobilizing him. The blood seeps out of his wounds, making the vampires nearby grimace. The wolves smell awful, and their freshly spilt blood is even worse. Still the pack stands back and watches, fighting their emotions from interfering. Paul brought this on himself. "I know better than _anyone_ that not all vampires are the same, despite your instincts that tell you otherwise. I've been fed from, beaten, and raped by more vampires than I care to count. And it wasn't until Jasper showed up on my doorstep that I knew there was another kind of vampire out there.

"You don't have one iota of the life experience that I do, and you base your hatred of this family on some old stories and superstitions written by members of your tribe that are long dead. I've lived these lives; I have first hand experience, and have seen every aspect of immortal life, and the dangers it presents. If anyone here has a right to hate vampires, it's me. But even I have the presence of mind to get to know someone before passing judgment. I suggest you do the same. If you all could get past your prejudices, you might actually be friends." She is met with one yip of approval from the young wolf, Seth. He always liked us, the few times he's been at Bella and Beck's house while we were visiting. Opal shoves her knee into Paul's chest one last time before pushing off him and joining me back in our semi-circle. Paul lays on the ground completely immobilized while the cracks in his sternum heal.

"Same time tomorrow night?" I suggest. Sam nods and promises that Paul will be better behaved. The wolves disappear the way they arrived, Paul having been slung over Embry's back as he hasn't healed enough to phase yet.

"Atta girl, sis!" Emmett enthuses, ruffling Opal's hair as we head back home. "I thought for sure you were gonna end him though. That could have been bad."

"Well since I'm not a vampire, your treaty doesn't apply to me, but I wouldn't be surprised if they found some loophole or a different way to interpret the words of it and use it against me. But Edward and Jasper can correct me if I'm wrong, but it seemed like the wolves didn't interfere because they knew Paul had made a mistake."

"Yeah, they were all calling him an idiot over and over," Edward confirms. "A couple of them might have been glad if you had killed him. It seems like he's definitely not the pack favorite. Always on a short fuse, starting fights over nothing, case in point. Many of them were even thinking that they wouldn't be too broken up if he were to be lost during the battle. He's a real black sheep, I guess."

"Opal, I must admit that I'm more than curious about those werewolf fangs and claws. You said a Voo Doo doctor gave them to you?" Carlisle asks.

"Yeah, I was on the run for a few years, in between covens, and found myself in new Orleans. A Voo Doo doctor saw me and knew what I was immediately. I guess he could tell by the scars or something. He asked if I was looking for protection from vampires and it piqued my interest. He showed me a multitude of things, including bullets made from vampire skin and teeth. Those can kill a werewolf or a shape shifter if dipped in venom, or tear a limb off a vampire. And if you're a sharp enough shooter, behead one. A werewolf pelt acts as a shield from vampires with telepathic gifts, having already been shielded from those thanks to that jealous mate, I didn't need one.

"He then gave me the claws and fangs of at least two werewolves along with several vials of saliva, and instructed me how to use them. I only ever got to use them once before another coven was upon me and I knew that it would just be futile for me to keep fighting them for eternity. So I stored them away for a rainy day, I guess. Said rainy day will be when Victoria, Maria and their minions come for us."

Once we're back at the house, Opal and I decide to retreat to our cottage for the night. I need alone time with her as much as she needs it with me. "Seeing you take down Paul was quite possibly one of the sexiest things I've ever seen," I whisper at her as we cross through the door into the main room.

"Well you know, the only reason I attacked him is to turn you on," she jokes.

"I am starting to get curious as to how rough I can get with you," I say.

"Well you need to practice using your aggression again, right? We have a big battle coming up, and I'd love nothing more than to help you take out that wench, Maria."

"We'll do it together," I promise. "Right after I have my wicked way with you." I lead her to the bedroom, shedding our clothing as we go. She takes the werewolf dagger off her neck and throws it in the opposite end of the room, as far away from me as possible, knowing that just being close to it makes me uneasy.

I lay her down on the soft downy mattress and gaze at the beauty that is my mate. "You are exquisite," I whisper. I lean down and kiss her fiercely, tasting her love for me on her lips. "We're so connected, Opal. I can actually taste your emotions. Love is especially delicious. Sweet and rich."

"Oh yeah? Well how does lust taste?" she asks as she switches our positions and is now sitting on top of me, her thighs squeezing my hips. She presses her lips to mine, pouring her emotions into her kiss. Lust is tangy, spicy and addicting. I tell her so and she grins against my mouth. Her center finds my arousal and moves across it ever so slowly, eliciting a long growl from deep within me. "I want you to take me, Jasper. I want you to have me the way you want me, as roughly as you want."

"So what you're saying, is you want me to fuck you," I hiss.

"Oh god yes," she breathes, I can feel her arousal increasing, coating me in it's richness. I flip us again and turn her around so she's facing away from me. I drag her by her ankles to the edge of the bed so I am standing up, lined up perfectly with her entrance. I can feel the heat of her coating me with desire; she wants it this way.

"You asked for it," I warn as I thrust into her in one swift, rough motion. She screams out at the connection and begs me to move. She is so warm and tight, it's all I can do to keep from climaxing right now. I slam into her over and over again, as she screams and encourages me to use more strength. I squeeze her hips tightly as I thrust into her wildly, I can see bruises forming and healing as I squeeze tighter and tighter.

"Oh Jasper, yes!" she yells. "Fuck me!" I am momentarily surprised that she wants me in this way. Hard, rough, aggressive and violent sex is not something I thought she'd ever want. But she continues to surprise me. I can feel her starting to convulse and clench around me as her climax nears. I can also tell it's going to be an explosive orgasm from the both of us. I reach up and grip the hair at the back of her neck as I continue to ram her. "Yes, pull my hair," she begs, I grip it tighter and tug on it as her climax washes over her. She starts thrashing about, screaming at the top of her lungs as her release takes over. She clenches around me, squeezing me so tightly it's almost painful. A fresh wave of her love and lust for me hits me and triggers my own climax. I let go of her hair for fear of actually tearing it out by the roots, and grip her hips tightly, now feeling her bones crack beneath my hands. I can't find it in me to care at the moment as the feeling is so damn good.

"Jesus, Opal!" I cry out as I shoot my seed into her. I collapse on the bed, half on top of her, still connected intimately. "Are you alright?" I ask after a beat.

"Um, I'm slightly better than alright," she replies. "I know you're asking because you cracked my pelvis, but to be honest it turned me on."

"Really?" I ask, turning on my side, and pulling her against me. I run my fingers down her side, feeling her hips to make sure her bones knit back together properly. Though I'm not a doctor, so I don't know for sure. I guess we'll know if she starts walking funny or has bones protruding in odd ways.

"Yes, I thought it was so sexy that you wanted me that way, and that you agreed when I asked for it. Not that I'm going to want it like that all the time, but definitely feel free to be as rough as you like."

"I'll take that into consideration," I reply pressing my lips to her neck, and covering her shoulder and upper arm with kisses. "Especially after a hunt, the bloodlust turns to regular lust… maybe I'll have you accompany me on my next hunt so I can ravage you afterwards."

"Oh yes, please!" she states, reaching back and grasping my newly hardened erection and stroking it with her hand. "Ready for me again, already?" she teases. "You might just be as insatiable as I am. She removes her hand and adjusts, arching her back so her entrance is aligned with me. I grasp her hip and slide into her smoothly. Her body is pressed up against mine from chest to knee, and I intend to keep it that way. She reaches back and grasps my hip, anchoring herself to me as we begin to move together, making slow, sweet, passionate love to each other.

"Yes, Opal. You feel amazing," I say into her neck, her hair tickling my face.

"Oh Jasper, so good. I love making love with you. In any way. Rough, gentle, slow, fast, all of it is out of this world." I slide my hand around to her front and rub my fingers against her clit, eliciting more moans and grunts from her. She digs her nails into my hip as she climaxes. Listening to her voice when she orgasms alone is enough to make me want to cum. I concentrate on her pleasure, rather than my own, which makes it possible for her to climax four times before I can't hold mine back any longer and release into her, while pressing my face into her neck, holding her tightly to me.

"Jasper! Opal! I'm coming in! Get decent!" Alice yells from outside the cottage. I rush to put on my pants, throwing Opal's clothing at her in my haste. She giggles at me and pulls on her panties and her bra at a normal pace. I glance at her in confusion.

"I'm not exactly modest, Jasper. And it's not like I have anything that Alice hasn't seen before, I mean, she has the same parts that I do."

"What's going on?" I ask.

"It's Laurent," she replies. "He got into a fight with Irina about wanting to hunt humans before the fight since it'll make us stronger and then he left. He's going to find Victoria to tell her… everything. He said that if we don't hunt humans, we won't be strong enough, and he doesn't want to be on the losing side. Irina almost went with him! We have to stop him. I didn't see it soon enough, he's already gone. Edward is chasing after him, but it won't be enough. I came to you because I knew you'd somehow know what to do."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Jasper PoV

"Okay, Alice. Calm down," I say. "Victoria is still in Seattle?" I ask. She nods. "Okay, then we'll just have to beat Laurent there. You said Edward is already after him. Can you see if he'll meet up with him before he gets to Victoria?" Alice closes her eyes and becomes stock still as she searches through the visions.

"Edward will get to him about sixty miles outside of Seattle. But Edward's words alone won't be enough to convince him to come back. He's set in his plan to squeal on us to Victoria. Why is he doing this?"

"Because he spent 300 years hunting humans, and suddenly has to stop because of a woman. Even if she's his mate, it's hard to deny your nature in such a short amount of time. By now he's noticed that his strength has indeed lessened since he started imbibing animal blood, and he's worried it won't be enough.

"I have an idea," Opal chimes in. Her emotions are calm and calculating; she's a true strategist, just like me. "Lets lure one of the newborns out of the city with my scent, since they won't know it yet. I'll kill the newborn and Laurent will see that if I can do it, surely a vampire can." I want to shout hell no, but then remember that she can't be killed. It's going to take some getting used to, having a mate that is a human and yet, still not a human.

Alice's eyes glaze over as she processes this vision. "Gah, Opal, I still can't see you. But I think it might work. I can see Laurent back here at the house with Irina, smiling and apologizing to her." Alice and Opal seem to have a conspiring vibe between them, which is odd to me. Is there something they're not telling me?

"Let's go then," Opal replies, dressing in thick jeans, a flannel shirt and hiking boots, much to Alice's horror. "Of all the times to be concerned about fashion, you pick now?" Opal admonishes as she pulls her sex-mussed auburn locks into a bun. Alice shakes her head in disapproval but keeps her mouth shut as she follows us out of the house. Opal stops to grab her dagger from the corner of the room before we head out the door. She climbs deftly onto my back and soon we are speeding through the forest at breakneck pace. For not the first time, I'm grateful that after Edward I am the fastest in the family. Even with Opal on my back, Alice is having a hard time keeping up.

The trees fly past us and I can feel exhilaration, excitement and a tiny dose of fear coming off of Opal. She must not be used to traveling at this speed. Alice keeps up along side us, constantly searching the future as she dodges trees and bushes. "They're fighting," she says. "Edward's got the upper hand. As long as he can keep that up, we'll make it before Laurent rips off his leg and takes off." Upon hearing this, Opal tries to make herself as small as possible, so as to help make me more aerodynamic.

"One of the newborns has wandered out of the city. It's caught Edward's and Laurent's scents and is curious. We won't have to lure one out." Opal seems surprised at this information, perhaps she had planned on having to enter the city, getting much to close to this newborn army for my liking. They'd tear her apart over and over again just for the fun of it. Alice takes the lead and brings us on a wide circuit around where we hear Edward and Laurent fighting. As we enter the clearing, the newborn in question comes barreling through the trees having caught Opal's scent. She hops off my back, takes the dagger out of the leather pouch just before the newborn slices her teeth through Opal's wrist.

Opal doesn't even flinch at the attack, instead she uses the leverage to throw herself onto the newborn's back and drag the blade across her neck, effectively decapitating her. The body falls to the ground and Opal extricates the head from her wrist, blood running down it's unmoving chin. She had to tear off a part of her skin to get it to let go. Carlisle mentioned the death grip once, that it's hard to get a human corpse to let go of something if they die while clutching it. Must be even worse for a vampire's grip.

I get a reading on Laurent's emotions. Bloodlust is at the forefront. He'd caught a whiff of Opal's blood and now it's all he wants. Edward tries to restrain him, but Laurent has the upper hand in the strength department. I move to stand in front of Opal, to protect her but she stops me. She holds out her wrist, inviting Laurent to drink from her.

He crosses the gap in a split second and slices into her wrist, right on top of where the newborn had. A low growl forms in his throat as he takes in the nectar that flows freely and unending from her veins. Opal's eyes are closed, a single tear falls from one eye. I reach over to wipe it away and when she opens her eyes, all I can see is her apology. Written all over her face, and rolling off of her like a tidal wave.

Alice has a sad, but knowing expression on her face. This was Opal's plan all along, to let Laurent drink from her. "Why?" I ask, feeling defeated. I never wanted her to have to be a meal again.

"I knew it was the only way," she replies. Laurent is still feeding from her greedily. "Alice agreed when she said it would work. I know I said out loud that we'd be successful if Laurent saw me kill a vampire, but I had silently decided to let him feed from me. I know you'd never let me do it if I told you the truth. This way, no humans have to die, and Laurent will get the strength he desires for the fight. I'm sure I'll have to deal with Irina and Laurent will have to start at square one with abstaining from humans, but Alice knew we'd never get him to come back until he'd fed from a human."

"And the newborn?" I ask.

"Blind luck," Alice replies. Laurent removes his teeth from Opal's arm and releases her from his grip. The bruises that had formed on her forearm in the shape of his hands are fading fast, the wound from his teeth closing, and the skin that she had torn off is growing back, too.

"I'm so sorry Opal," Laurent says. "I… I could not help myself. I mean, you always smell lovely, delectable even, but I'm able to resist. Your freshly spilt blood though, I could not stop myself… I did not want to." He is ashamed and disgusted with himself. Well that's a start if he's to go back to the animal diet. Not that Irina wouldn't hide his ass if he decides not to abstain.

"It's okay, Laurent. I forgive you." She reaches out, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I knew you'd bite me, and I planned for it. It's not like I don't have a few gallons of blood to spare," she says with a wink. "It's better you feed from me and not an innocent human." Laurent gives her a shy smile before turning and heading back towards Forks.

"Does someone want to explain to me what the hell just happened?" Edward asks. I give him the cliff notes version, and while he doesn't approve of Opal's decision to let Laurent feed from him, he knows that his own mate would do the very same. "Regardless of whether or not she's immortal. She would always sacrifice herself to save others. You're like her." He smiles and pats Opal's shoulder. I note that it's the second time he's touched her since they met. Edward and Alice take off back to the house, ahead of us.

"I'm sorry I lied to you," she says, looking down, ashamed.

"I'm upset, but I understand why you did. But please, I need to be able to trust you. I can't do that if you lie to me, Darlin'. You did the right thing, which is why I can't be too angry, but I wish you'd been honest with me about it. You're right about me trying to stop you. I hate the idea of another vampire having their mouth on you. In any way, shape or form."

"I love you so much Jasper. It killed me to lie to you; it goes against the grain to do so. You can trust me to always be honest with you, from here on out."

"Thank you," I reply, pulling her close to me. "And I love you, too. More than anything." She looks down at her arm, which is now fully healed, just creamy peach skin inside the new scar that the newborn and Laurent have created. After a moment, she bursts into a fit of giggles. "What's so funny?"

"Look," she says, bringing her wrist closer to my face. "Some of the scars are cut off by the new one, and they don't continue. It's like a circle of immunity or something." She continues laughing, while I'm momentarily confused. "Well, you remember when I told you that when I lose a limb and it grows back, that there are no scars on it right?" I nod. "This is similar, I ripped out a part of my skin, and Laurent bit exactly on the outline of where the missing skin was. When it grew back, just his teeth left a scar, but everything in the middle is now scar free. So all the scars that were there before are gone or cut off just at the border of Laurent's teeth. It just looked funny to me."

I can see that my confusion has sucked all the humor out of the situation, so I give her a small apologetic smile in lieu of laughter. "I guess I'm still a little too upset to find the humor in you being attacked by a newborn, and then fed from by Laurent." She runs her hand along my cheek and gazes in to my eyes, showing me nothing but love.

"Let's set the pyre, then go home, shall we?" she suggests, pulling a lighter out of her pocket. "This is going to seem so gross, but do you think you can try and get the chunk of my skin out of her mouth? I know I'm not strong enough to do so, and I'll only succeed cutting my fingers with her teeth. Once the fire goes out, the skin will be left here, and only create more questions, and I don't want anything to lead back to our family. Especially if Victoria or Maria find it. Maria will recognize my scent, and that wouldn't be good for any of us." I nod, knowing what I'm about to do is no less than gruesome. I grab the newborn's jaws, and tear off the mandible, throwing it into the pyre that Opal has lit. I find the skin from her arm and wrap it in the handkerchief that I always keep in my back pocket, and hand it to Opal. She places it in her leather pouch along with the dagger and vial of wolf spit. "Carlisle's going to have a field day with that specimen," she says, which does elicit a laugh from me.

"Maybe you could wrap it up in a pretty Tiffany's box and give it to him for Christmas," I joke.

"That's actually a really great idea, Jasper. And no one would expect it." She loops her arm in mine and we head towards Forks at a human pace, not feeling in any rush to get back just yet. Being out here away from the family, and away from the impending threat makes it seem less daunting. We both know that before the week is out, we'll be up to our necks in newborns and vengeful vampires.

Opal PoV

Jasper and I stop off at our cottage before heading to the main house. I want to hide my leather pouch so that Carlisle doesn't know what he's going to get, and can't snoop around. Plus, I know I'm going to have to deal with the wrath that is Irina once we get there. She's not going to be happy that her mate's eyes are red. I take a deep breath and steel myself for the onslaught. I barely make it through the door before a pair of cold arms are wrapped tightly around me, my ribs groaning in protest. I spare a glance at the head of hair that is attached to said cold arms and note that it is Irina. Laurent is across the room, smiling shyly at me. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she whispers into my hair.

"Huh? For what?" I ask.

"For keeping him from killing an innocent human, Opal. If you hadn't gotten there when you did, he'd have torn off Edward's leg and headed right into the city and to the first human he came across. Alice told me as much when they got back. She said that you intercepted him, and let him bite you instead."

"Wow, that's not the reaction I expected," I reply honestly. She releases me, still keeping her hands on my upper arms and looks at me, confused. "I thought you'd be mad at me for letting him feed from me. For enabling him to slip."

"No, no, dear girl. Er woman… I forget that you're much older than you appear. Though still a kid in comparison to me," she jokes. "I would have been more upset with him than I already was if he returned here with red eyes full of innocent human blood. Because it would not only mean that he slipped, but that someone had to die because we argued. But you came alone, selfless and all, and just held out your wrist to him, giving him permission."

"It wasn't so much of an invitation as it was me not stopping him from doing so. I mean I still had the werewolf dagger in my hand; I could have stopped him."

"Alice assures me that what you did was the only way to keep him from harming a human, and then spilling the beans to Victoria." Her voice is full of malice at the mention of this elusive redhead.

"From what I hear, she gives us gingers a bad name," I joke.

"You are _not_ a ginger," Jasper corrects, seemingly offended that I called myself one. "First off all, you have no freckles, secondly, your hair is auburn not really red or orange, and thirdly, you have the most beautiful soul. Trust me; I know."

"But Bitchtoria," Emmett interjects, "She's the definition of a soulless ginger. Her hair is like it's on fire, it's so orange."

"Well I'm glad to know she doesn't appeal to you, dear," Rosalie says.

"Nah, babe. You know I'm partial to a certain golden haired goddess," he replies with a wink. I'm sure if Rosalie was capable of blushing, she'd be the color of a tomato right now. She takes one long look at Emmett before grabbing him by the shirt collar and absconding with him up the stairs. I glance at Jasper, knowing it doesn't take an empath to know what's about to go on up there. Edward and Alice make their excuses and head off towards Bella and Beck's house, Carlisle and Esme talk about a moonlit hunt, and the rest of the inhabitants desert the house within seconds, some without even a word.

Jasper leads me out the back door and across the lawn, heading back to our cottage. Just as we cross the river, he picks up what appears to be a familiar scent. We get to the yard of our little place and a pair of vampires are there, eying it curiously. "Peter!" he greets, his arms open wide as a brown haired vampire launches himself at him, tackling him to the ground. Boys will be boys, I think as I watch them wrestling for a few moments. Peter, as I recall, is Jasper's friend from back in his War days. Peter helped him get away from Maria, for which I'll be eternally grateful. Jasper said Peter and his mate helped him leave. I look up to greet the female that came with Peter, assuming she's his mate when I realize who she is. One look at her face, and my dagger is back out of my pocket, held in front of me defensively.

"What the—" Peter says, as he catches a whiff of the dagger. He staggers back a few steps before realizing that my ardor is directed at the woman with him. Violet gazes at me, recognition finally showing on her face, followed by a deep sorrow.

"Don't move a muscle, or I swear on all that you hold dear I will tear you apart," I threaten.

"Whoa!" Peter yells, putting his arms up in a surrendering gesture. "Clearly there's some misunderstanding here."

"No misunderstanding, Peter. Right, Violet?" Her eyes flash to mine briefly before returning to the dagger in my hand. She's wary of it and can't figure out why.

"Opal what's going on? And who's Violet?" Jasper asks, moving slowly between me and the demon across the lawn.

"Her!" I grit between my teeth. "She's the one that gave me brain damage." Jasper and Peter turn from me to stare at the female. I recall her name being Violet, but Peter addresses her with a different name.

"Charlotte, Darlin', what's she talking about?" he asks, curious. "Do you know this girl?"

"Know me? Oh yes, she _knows_ me. Just about as well as one can know the Silverblood they tortured for the better part of twenty years." She looks at me with confusion written all over her face. "Oh don't tell me you forgot, I thought a vampire memory was infallible," I hiss. "You were jealous of me and you tried to kill me."

"Charlotte, please explain," Jasper asks. I can tell he's warring between siding with me or her. He must know her. He asks me to put down the dagger, but I'm reluctant. I let the blade fall just slightly, but it's still tight in my hand, tensed and ready to be used to decapitate this bitch.

"Remember when you couldn't find me for twenty years?" Charlotte asks. Peter nods. "I had been taken in a battle by a vampire named Raymond. He told me I was his true mate and that I was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He had a gift of making one believe anything that comes out of his mouth is the truth. Even though my heart told me otherwise, I couldn't help but believe him. He told me my name was Violet, too.

"This girl was with him," she says, pointing at me. "He told me that she was our food source, that we'd never have to feed on normal humans. And sometimes, he did more than just feed on her. He'd take her into our bed chamber and… _be_ with her, and it made me jealous. He'd manipulated me so much that I barely knew which way was up. My heart was with you, Peter, but my head was with Raymond. I was going crazy, and seeing her with him set me off. And I did try to kill her. I didn't think it'd be so hard, or rather, impossible.

"He was raping me, not making love to me. And you! You slammed my head into that rock so many times my skull was mush! It took _weeks_ for me to be better, and I still deal with the damage you did!" I yell. By now the rest of the family has caught on to our distressing scene and is assembling behind us. Save for Emmett and Rosalie who are still likely otherwise occupied. Jasper has moved behind me, wrapping his arms around me, sending waves of tranquility straight into me. I slump against him, the dagger falling to the ground. Jasper moves out of the way, so it doesn't pierce his foot.

"Opal, I am so very sorry. I truly wasn't myself then. Like I said, Raymond was manipulating me. It was even worse because I knew my true mate, I'd been with him and was taken from him. Being separated from your mate is a form of severe torture for a vampire, and being manipulated to believe that someone else is your mate is another form. I was truly going insane. And if Raymond hadn't banished me after I tried to kill you, there's no telling what kind of savage beast I'd have become.

"I loved Peter with my heart, and I hated Raymond with it. But I loved Raymond with my head, and didn't know Peter with it. It was such a contradiction in my body that it fueled every insane thing I did, including attack you. Once I was gone, and far enough away, I was released from Raymond's influence. I remembered Peter and ran to find him. I realized what a horrible thing I had done to you, and vowed that should our paths ever cross again, I would find a way to apologize and try to make it right. I even killed Raymond when I saw him again."

"I thought Maria killed Raymond," I say quietly.

"Maria? No. I did. I was trailing Peter, who was still part of Maria's army. I wanted nothing to do with the wars anymore, so I was keeping my distance until I could get Peter far enough away to escape with him. Maria's army was fighting Raymond's and that's when I took my chance. Having been with him for so long, I knew where he'd be hiding out during the battle. I took him out, found Peter and we ran away. It wasn't too many years after that when Jasper left Maria, too." I stand stock still for a few moments absorbing everything Violet, er, Charlotte has said.

"I… I need some time to think," I whisper, walking past her and into the little cottage. Jasper is close on my heels. I hear him mutter something to Peter about taking Charlotte to the main house. I sit down on the chaise lounge near the fire place. Jasper sets about building a fire, and once it's roaring, he leaves the room. He leaves me to my own devices for a while, understanding that I want to be alone. I hear him futzing around the house, straightening things that are already immaculate, making the bed, reorganizing the closet. He must have acquired these nervous habits from Esme.

"Opal, are you alright?" he finally asks me as he sits beside me and gathers me into his arms. I bury my face in his chest and start to sob. "Opal, I understand your bitterness towards Charlotte, but she was telling the truth. She was being manipulated by that Raymond guy. It might as well have been him that hurt you so badly. I almost wish he was still alive so I could kill him myself for what he did to you."

"Get in line," I agree, wiping a tear from my cheek. Jasper takes my hand with the freshly wiped tear on it and presses his lips to it, taking a bit of me within him. "I didn't know he had that gift, I guess he either never manipulated me, or wasn't able to."

"Or maybe he did, and he did it so well, that you didn't realize it had been happening."

"Why would he manipulate me to be resistant, then? I fought him every single time he and Viol—Charlotte fed from me. I kicked and screamed every time he brought me into his bedroom to have his way with me. Wouldn't it make more sense for him to manipulate me to be complacent?"

"I hate to say this, but do you think you'd have continued to be resistant for twenty years, Opal? That's a long time to keep fighting tooth and nail for something that you might have realized was inevitable. You knew before hand that there's no fighting vampire strength. Do you think that maybe he was manipulating you to be a fighter so that he could, ah, get his kicks."

"You mean that him seeing a girl fight and be resistant was a turn on to him?" I ask. He nods sadly. "Wow, I never thought of it that way. And you're right. I'd never really fought before that, I mean I'd beg them to not do it, but knew that it was inevitable, and that fighting was futile."

"Did you ever try to escape Raymond?" Jasper asks, his fingers tracing patterns across my scalp.

"All the time. If I wasn't being fed from or otherwise, I was trying to leave. I never stopped trying to escape him. And he always caught me, and he always punished me. Oh my god, Jasper. Now that I know what he did, he was even more of a monster. He truly tortured me day in and day out for so long. And I know he's not the only one out there. Thank you again, for saving me."

"Anytime, Darlin'," He promises. "And you've saved me, too, y'know." I lift my head off his chest to stare at him. "I was lost, Darlin'. I felt so out of place in a house full of mated couples. While I sat by, alone, watching. Wishing I could be part of it. I have no idea what sparked me to go to Ohio of all places, but I did, and it led me to you." He kisses the top of my head and pulls me closer to him. I wrap my arms around his waist and hold tightly to him.

"Can we just stay like this until the day of the battle?" I ask, squeezing him tightly.

"I'd love to Darlin', but you need to eat, I need to hunt, and we have another training session with the wolves tonight. And I don't know how they're going to feel about Peter and Charlotte being here. Seeing as they're human drinkers."

"Don't worry, babe. I'll keep the wolves in line," I reply. He chuckles. "Besides, who knows more about killing newborns than you and Peter?"

"Yeah, I guess we are the experts on the matter. But, Paul sure was afraid of you yesterday. I've no doubt that he'll stay as far from you as possible."

"When do we need to leave for the clearing?" I ask, turning my head to look at the clock on the mantle. "Nine?" He nods. "Good then, I have 3 whole hours to have you all to myself, cowboy." I turn back to him, and grab the hem of his shirt, pushing it up his washboard stomach and gaze at the marble perfection that is his torso.

"And what'll you do with me for three whole hours, ma'am?" He takes the shirt from me and pulls it over his head, tossing it aside.

"I'll start by kissing you," I reply, pressing my lips firmly to his. His hands travel to my hips and squeeze me firmly as I adorn him with kisses. I move to his cheek, and down his jaw, leaving a trail of kisses behind me. A low rumble starts in his chest and gets louder and louder as time passes. I undo the button and zipper on his trousers and wriggle them down his hips along with his boxers. I pull on his arms to get him to lie on the bear skin rug on the floor, right in front of the fire.

"Fireside sex," he whispers, a smile playing on his lips. "I approve." He reaches up to undo the buttons on my shirt as I pull the binder out of my hair, letting my locks fall around my shoulders. "You're so beautiful," he breathes as he leans up to capture my lips with his. Soon I am naked and lying underneath him as he covers me in kisses, much like I did him.

"Jasper, I need you," I say as he aligns himself with me. He hesitates, building the suspense and tension. "Please, baby. Now!" I beg. He smiles against my lips as he pushes himself into me. I cry out at the connection, finally feeling like one with him. He stills, savoring the connection along with me. This is the moment, the time stopping moment that people write about. Feeling utterly connected with your other half in the most intimate way possible. It doesn't get better than this.

I wrap my legs tightly around him, and wrap my arms around his shoulders, pulling him close to me. Our bodies are pressed together so tightly, it's hard to tell where he ends and I begin. "I love you, Opal," he whispers in to my ear just before taking the lobe between his lips. "More than my own life," he adds.

"I love you, Jasper. So much. You're everything to me," I reply. With that he starts to move, slowly, intimately, in every way I love. We're so wrapped up in each other; nothing else matters. Not the impending battle, not the tentative agreement with the wolves, not the memory of Charlotte beating me to a pulp. There is nothing but Jasper and Opal and this rug.

For the next two hours, we lose ourselves in each other, making sweet passionate love. Exploring, discovering, and rediscovering each other. "Opal," Jasper says once we've finished and are reluctantly getting ready to meet the wolves. "When this is all said and done with Victoria, Maria, and their newborns, I'm going to ask you a very important question. I hope you'll say yes, and then I can put something on your finger, and Alice can plan an event, and then we'll confirm our feelings for each other in front of our family and friends, and then I can truly call you mine, forever."

"I already said yes to that question in 1863, you know," I tease.

"Yes, but you weren't immortal then, and neither was I. Throughout all the changes we've both been through, and the histories we've both created, we're different people than we were then. We've been reunited as new beings, you as a Silverblood, me as a vampire. I want to ask you as Jasper Whitlock Hale, the vampire. And I can't allow myself to ask you yet, not with this threat looming over us. I won't let Maria take me away from you twice."

"I know you won't," I reply. "Promise me one thing," I request. He waits for me to continue, emanating a small bit of worry. "When you get your hands on Maria, you'll let me drag a claw across her throat. Promise me that we can kill her together. Because I know that it's her that's keeping this from being the most romantic proposal in all of history."

"You got it, Darlin'," he promises. "We'll end her together."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Jasper PoV

"So Peter," I begin as Opal and I enter the main house after our earth shattering three hours of fireside sex, "What are you doing here?" I ask.

"News travels fast, Major," he replies. "I got wind that Maria was on her way up here with a gaggle of freshies, and figured you'd need some assistance. Though with that firecracker you've got for a mate and her werewolf daggers, you might not," he jokes. "You ever kill a vamp with that thing?" he asks Opal, pointing at the dagger around her neck.

"Just yesterday," she replies, pulling it off of her neck and twirling it around her finger. "One of Bitchtoria's newborns wandered from the fray, and I killed it. Sliced the head clean off," she says, trailing her finger across her throat. Peter eyes her throat, bloodlust coming to the surface, momentarily, but he quells it, sending me a wave of apology.

"Wow," Peter and Charlotte chorus in unison. "Firecracker," Peter repeats. "Like I said. And thank you for not doing that to my gal here," he adds.

"I'm not going to apologize for drawing the dagger on you, Charlotte," Opal replies. "Even if you were being manipulated by Raymond, which I was too, apparently, you still caused irreparable damage to me. I used to be right handed, and I used to feel pain."

"You can't feel pain?" Charlotte asks.

"Nope, not at all. My pain receptors were destroyed, and they never healed. I should be thanking you for that, I suppose. Considering how much it hurt to get bitten every single time, but it made me feel even less human."

"Again, I am sorry. I wasn't myself; I was Violet. She was a completely different person to me. I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I hope you'll trust me enough to let me help with this battle." Charlotte gives Opal her most sincere facial expression, which is from the heart. She truly feels the remorse for what she did to my mate. Opal remains impassive.

"Jasper tells me that you fought with him and Peter in the Southern Wars," Opal replies. Charlotte nods, proudly. "That makes your knowledge of how to defeat newborns paramount to our success here. I am willing to put aside my emotions regarding our history for this event. After the battle is done, however, I cannot guarantee that we can ever be friends. But I do respect you, and I trust you enough to fight on the same side as you. You saved Jasper from Maria, and for that I will be eternally grateful." Opal extends her hand, which Charlotte takes, graciously, smiling shyly at my mate.

"Have you heard anything about how many noobs Maria is bringing with her?" Emmett asks.

"Noobs?" Peter asks, a quizzical expression on his face.

"Newborns begat newbies begat noobs," I etymologize for him. He giggles.

"Last I heard she had a dozen, but you know how it is with them, fighting amongst themselves. Maria's the only seasoned vet, so she's got to handle them all herself. It'll probably be closer to ten or nine by the time she gets here." One vampire travelling alone could make it here in less than a day, but when you have to keep your eye on a dozen newborns, it can end up being slower than a trip by car. Especially if you have to stop to clean up a mess before the police start to ask too many questions about a mysterious death, or why all the bodies seem to be drained of blood.

"Shall we go?" I suggest. "It's almost time to meet the wolves." Everyone nods and heads for the door. Opal climbs onto my back, securing her arms and legs around me. She presses a kiss to the back of my neck just as we take off through the woods. I can feel her warm breath on my neck as I speed through the forest. Now I know why Edward loves this so much. It's incredibly sensual. Opal runs her nose along the column of my neck and gently nibbles my ear.

"When you go hunt tomorrow, you should bring me with you," she whispers, her hot breath tickling my ear. "Just like this, and then you can ravage me once you're done hunting." I nearly stop right then and there and press her against a tree. But there isn't the time. The Major in me won't be denied for long though, I may need to make this hunting trip sooner rather than later.

I clear my mind of those thoughts once we reach the clearing. Not long after we assemble our semi-circle, the wolves appear, many of them sitting on their haunches or laying down. "Will ya take a look at that," Peter says, whistling. "Never in a million years, did I think I'd ever see something like that." His eyes roam across the pack taking in the sheer mass of the wolves, his emotions betray his utter astonishment, though he maintains a calm façade.

"You must have never fought Pedro Villa then," Opal says as she hops off my back. "He had a whole tribe's worth of shape shifters from Peru enslaved in his army. Treated them terribly, though. Even worse than he treated me." Opal shivers at her memory of this Pedro Villa. I wonder if he's got any relation to the famed Pancho Villa. "He's the reason Machu Picchu was deserted though. He killed off the entire tribe, enslaved their shifters and used their city as his castle and stronghold for a long time." I remember the time the Cullen family all went to Peru on vacation. We visited Machu Picchu, and now I recall some of the ruins seeming a bit oddly shaped, like erosion and general wear and tear wouldn't have done that kind of damage. Now I know it could very well have been vampires or shape shifters that did it.

"Why are there Red Eyes among you?" Edward translates for the tribe. "And that one, his eyes were not red before. This is a breach of the treaty, Cullens." Sam's nose points to Laurent during Edward's translation.

"No one broke the treaty," Opal interjects before Carlisle can. "These two are friends of ours, here to help. They are not Cullens, and therefore not bound by your treaty. They will not feed on any of the people in Forks, La Push, or the nearby area. Laurent has recently fed, but it was not a human. It was me. It was allowed to prevent him from slipping and killing an innocent human." The wolves bark collectively, not believing her.

"I have a new scar on my arm," Opal explains, extending her arm to show the slightly fresher looking crescent marks at her wrist. "It matches Laurent's teeth pattern, if you really want to investigate. Or you can just take my word for it." She glares right at Paul when she says this which has him ducking his head submissively, and lowers his body to the ground. "I am not human, and therefore the 'bite a human' clause of your treaty does not apply."

"Why do you need more help?" Sam asks through Edward.

"Peter and Charlotte fought along with me in the Southern Vampire wars. Their knowledge of how to kill newborns will be necessary if we wish to ensure our success," I explain.

"Where are Bella and Beck going to be during the fight?" the wolves ask.

"Right here, with me," Opal replies, pointing to a large boulder behind us. "We'll all have our daggers and werewolf saliva, able to defend ourselves."

"That's crazy!" Jacob says, shifting to human form. "You can't be serious!"

"We are serious," Beck answers.

"But you're human!" Jacob says, advancing on us. "You'll be killed!" Edward cringes at whatever mental picture Jacob has come up with.

"Er, not anymore, Jake," Bella tells him. He looks at her as if she's grown a second head.  
"We're like Opal now. We can't die, even when bitten, we can't be turned."

"Since when?" Jacob asks.

"Since this past weekend," she replies. "Beck and I both went through the transition." Jacob looks completely crestfallen. "Jake, isn't this better? I'm not a vampire, I'm stronger than I used to be, and guess what… I haven't tripped, stumbled, slipped, or lost my balance even once since then." We hear some wolfish snickers come from the pack; Emmett can't hold back his giggle either.

"How?" Jacob asks.

"It's not my secret to tell," Bella replies.

"Yes it is, Bella. Its yours, Beck's and mine to tell. To whomever we deem worthy to hear it. If we can trust the wolves to keep the secret of the Cullens, we should be able to trust them to keep this one," Opal interjects. Bella and Beck nod for her to continue. She knows how to best explain what they are. "Like I told you all before, I am an immortal human. Also known as a Silverblood. Throughout history, Silverbloods have served as meals and companions to vampires. Sometimes amicably, or in my case, not so much. We can be fed from, and our blood supply never dwindles. Like you we have rapid healing abilities, but vampire venom and werewolf saliva are not poisonous to us. Venom hurts, but it cannot change us. Werewolf saliva seems to have no effect at all. We cannot be killed, which is more than I can say for you all and the vampires behind me.

"Bella and Beck wanted to be immortal, so they could be with their mates for longer than one human life time. I made it happen, without turning them into vampires. My blood turned them into Silverbloods."

"So now, you're all just gonna feed from them then?" Jacob assumes.

"No, you can see from Edward's, Alice's, and Jasper's eyes, that they've not fed from us even once. Nor do they intend to. I was dealt this card via some kind of messed up genetics or magic or something, but they chose it. It's the best of both worlds, they get to be with their mates for an eternity, and get to retain all the things that make them human. Save for one, aging."

Jacob walks away, shifting back into a wolf as he goes, he sits down at the back of the pack, and turns away, his mood contemplative and devastated. Though I can tell that he's not as devastated as he'd be if he'd showed up here and Bella and Beck were newborns. "In addition to this being the safest place for us, while also the most dangerous, the newborns will all be in a frenzy, desperate to get to us by any means necessary. This will make them less focused on the fight, and more focused on the bloodlust raging through their bodies," Opal continues. "I've been told that your scents are less than unappealing to a vampire, so no newborns will want to be feeding from you, but beware of their teeth. Even if they don't want to drink you, a bite is a newborns 2nd most effective means of incapacitating their opponent. Even to a vampire, venom stings and can momentarily stun, giving the attacker all the time they need to rip off a limb or even behead."

The conversation continues, Peter, Charlotte, Opal and I all taking turns to teach the wolves and the vampires the nuances of newborn battle. Before I move on to the next phase of training, Edward approaches me.

"Jasper, I don't know why, but as soon as Opal mentioned Silverbloods, Tanya started shielding her thoughts from me," Edward whispers low enough for only me to hear.

"Hmm," I reply, honing in on Tanya's emotional state. Calm and calculating, but on the extremes of those. She's projecting that to me to throw me off. "Thanks, bro. I'll look into it." He nods curtly and heads back to Bella's side. "I thought I'd suggest sparring if any of you are interested," I say once the instructions are done. Paul steps up, unsurprisingly, and licks his chops. Opal tenses at my side, but I send her a calming wave. "Very good, ground rules, do not bite me, I will not bite you. No scratching either. But you'll have a better idea of how to expect to be attacked by a newborn." Paul nods his gigantic head once before lunging at me.

I catch him around the neck and throw him to the ground. "You're dead. Don't go for the obvious attack. That's the only thing they'll expect," I say as he leaps to his feet. This time he comes at me from the side. He's learning. But I'm faster. I dodge his attack and jump on his back, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Dead again," I say. "Newborns will be faster and stronger than you." Paul growls aloud, clearly annoyed at being bested twice.

"Careful Jazz," Opal warns. "He's a loose cannon." I glance at her for a second, and she's clutching her Jasper pendant, worry painted all over her face. I am still for a second too long as Paul comes at me from behind, knocking me to the ground and then pressing his huge paw into my shoulder. I try to tell him to get off, but he's pushing my head into the ground, the words won't come out. "Get off of him, you mangy mutt!" Opal yells. Before I realize it, the weight that was pressing me into the ground is gone. I'm able to move again, though I can feel some gashes along my neck and shoulder blades.

I turn my head to see Opal wrestling with Paul. "Jasper, are you alright?" Edward yells as he approaches me. I realize now how much pain I am in. It's almost worse than turning. "Paul's gone crazy. All he can think of is ending all of us." Paul has bitten off one of Opal's feet and she is now hobbling on one leg trying to defend herself. Paul is no better for the wear either, the werewolf claw has left deep gashes along his torso, across his face and down one leg. He's bleeding profusely, the grass painted a deep red where they both fight. Opal must have heard Edward's words as she takes the werewolf dagger and digs it into Paul's chest. Half her arm disappears into his body, and when she pulls it back out, she's clutching his heart in her hand.

The wolves who were slowly advancing on us have stopped, completely stunned into silence. One of their brothers has just died, and they don't know how to proceed. "They seem to be glad he's gone," Edward whispers. "He's been starting fights with all of them for weeks now, for no reason at all. It's like he'd gone mad."

"Jasper!" Opal cries out, seeing me for the first time since attacking Paul. "Oh my god, he scratched you!" she runs over to me and tentatively touches my scratches, assessing me. She starts kissing me all over, happy that I'm still alive, but worried that these scratches might change that status soon. I note that she's reattached her foot and is able to run again. All her bites have healed, too. Carlisle is hot on her heels, ready to be of any assistance.

"Opal, I don't know a lot about injuries of this nature. Do you?" Carlisle asks. He hates being unable to help, his vast knowledge of human medicine does not help him here.

"Yes, I can help. Do either of you have a pocket knife?" she asks. Edward hands her a Swiss army knife and she promptly uses it to slice open the veins at her wrist. She drips her blood onto my wounds, which immediately causes them to numb, the burning sensation quelled. She then places her wrist against my mouth. "Do not bite, but drink," she says. As I take slow light sips of her sweet, delicious nectar, she watches the wounds on my back. I can feel them knitting back together as I drink from her. She is more delicious than I could have ever imagined, but the vampire in me isn't craving her. It's like drinking when I'm not thirsty. It tastes good, but there's no thirst to quench, no desire to drain. I've never had this sensation before.

"You're all healed, baby," she says, pulling her hand away from my mouth. For the first time in history, I'm not desperate for more blood. It was without a doubt the most delicious I've ever tasted, but for some reason, there's no desire to have more. If she offered it, I certainly wouldn't say no, but I have no bloodlust nor pull to it in any vampiric way. How odd. Carlisle will be interested in this. Laurent seemed to have a different reaction all together. And when I saw Tony and his lot feeding from her it was like they were starving people at an oasis.

"You… you killed Paul," a tiny voice says from behind us. We turn to see the female wolf, Leah standing there, staring at Paul's broken body, blood still pouring out of the open hole in his chest where his heart used to be. "Thank you," she whispers.

"What? Isn't he supposed to be your brother?" Opal asks. She must have thought she'd have to deal with the wolves' wrath for killing one of their own.

"A Brother? Fuck no. He lost that privilege a long time ago," she replies. "He's been nothing but a monster to all of us for months now. He even tried to… force me to… well let's just say Sam and Jared arrived in time before anything happened. I probably would have ripped his heart out myself if it had."

"So you're really not mad that he's dead?" Opal asks.

"No not at all, we were all secretly hoping that somehow he'd mess up during the fight and get killed by a newborn or something. Something snapped in him, and we're not sure what it was. His thoughts have been guarded for the longest time. There were huge breaks in his memories, sometimes for hours at a time. None of us had a clue what was going on, and whenever we asked him, he'd yell at us about staying out of his head, and then start a fight with someone."

"Edward, do you think that he had any kind of outside influence?" Carlisle asks. "What were his thoughts like during his fight with Jasper and then with Opal?"

"He was so angry, he was literally seeing red. All he could think about was, 'kill the Cullens, kill the Cullens.' It was like he was possessed somehow. Though I've no idea what that could be."

"It's Maria," Peter says. "Or rather, one of her scouts." We all look at him for an explanation. "About 30 years ago, Maria turned a young girl who seemed to have an influence over others. A way to manipulate them into doing her bidding. I think she was supposed to be some kind of replacement for the Major, here." He gestures at me. "Not so much like Jaspers ability to influence emotions or Raymond's manipulations of the mind, but the word was that her venom had ways of working its way into someone's body and messing with their mind on a molecular level. But not through a bite. She had to be… ah… intimate with them for it to work. I wonder if she seduced Paul, and influenced him to go postal on you. If your relationship with the wolves was less tentative and more trusting, it might have been a lot more effective.

"Also, due to the differences in her venom, the rumor is that she doesn't smell or look like a vampire. Her eyes are blue, and she just looks like a pale human."

Jared and Sam have overheard Peter's description and one of them pulls out a cell phone. "Does she look like this?" Jared asks, showing Peter a picture on his phone.

"I've never seen her, but this fits the description. A vampire would be able to see the differences in her skin, and know she's other than human. And she may have seduced Paul to the point that he overlooked her lack of heartbeat and cold skin."

"I saw her with Paul once, and took this picture," Jared explains. "When I asked him about her, he practically broke my phone trying to get it away from me. He said she was his imprint and that he didn't like that I took a photo of her. He was ridiculously possessive and protective, more so than any of us are over our imprints. And that's saying something."

"Make sure the rest of your pack steers clear of her," Peter warns. "I doubt she'll be at the fight, Maria will want her to stay alive, so someone's going to have to go looking for her at some point." Peter confers with the wolves on a plan to stake out the scout and kill her before she can influence anymore wolves or vampires for that matter.

"Let's get you out of here," Opal says, reaching down to help me up. While my gashes are healed, I still feel weak. "You need to hunt, too; your eyes are black." She traces her fingers along my eye, gazing at me lovingly. "You gave me quite the scare, Major. Don't do that again."

"Yes ma'am," I reply, saluting her.

"You all go on ahead. I'm gonna make sure Jasper gets a decent meal and then we'll be back." I can sense the ulterior motives in her emotions, though I know it's not going to be the ravaging she mentioned earlier. She nearly lost me, I was nearly taken from her, losing her to an eternity of blackness. We need to reassure each other that we're both alright. She needs that connection with me. Once everyone's gone, I take off into the trees to find whatever animal is stupid enough to be anywhere near this clearing. I find a herd of mule deer and take them out in less than a minute. I'm just finishing off the last one when Opal breaks through the trees, having followed me here.

I drop the carcass and run to her side, running my fingers through her hair. "I though you were a goner," she says, the tears she was fighting before, finally breaking the surface. I wipe them away with my lips, holding her close to me. "I saw him knock you down, and then shove your head into the dirt, and then rake his claws across your back. God, I thought he was going to tear you to pieces."

"I know you've told me time and again that you can't be killed, but seeing you fight with him was nearly my undoing. Especially when he tore off your foot. I worried that something in his spit would keep your foot from being able to reattach, or grow back. I mean I'd love you anyway, one foot or two, though."

"Jasper, I didn't know if my blood would work. It was a complete shot in the dark. Thank god it did. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Oh, my darlin' Opal, it'll take a lot more than a scratch or two from a sick werewolf to take me from you. You saved me though, again. We'll always save each other." I enfold her in my embrace, clutching her tightly. She squeezes me back just as hard, as if she's trying to meld us into one person.

"Jasper, I need you," she begs as she pulls my shirt off over my head. Frantically, we rid each other of clothing just to press our bare bodies together, needing the closeness. I gently lay her down and shower her body with kisses. "Please Jasper. I need you now," she says. I move back up her body and align myself with her, pressing my erection inside her to the hilt.

We move together slowly, feeling all of each other, sharing our emotions. We're wrapped in a cocoon of our love and need for one another as we make this connection. We've become one with each other, in every sense of the word. I've made love to this woman many times, but never before have I felt such depth in the passion, love and need we have for each other. It's almost a physical bubble we have around us, protecting us from the outside world. As we climax together, I open my eyes to gaze into hers, and notice a shimmering right beside me. Thinking someone is getting an eye-full, I turn to look only to see a true manifestation of our emotional cloud surrounding us.

"Jasper, do you see that?" Opal asks, the same moment I was going to ask her.

"Yes, I can feel it too. It's us. It's a mixture of your emotional signature and mine. Everyone has their own feel and color. Yours is an opalescent white, fitting I know. And mine is a grayish silver. It's how strongly we feel for each other, making itself real." Tentatively, she reaches out to touch it, and we learn that it's a physical barrier, as well. I wonder what it looks like from the outside.

"I can hear them talking, but I can't see them," I hear Alice's voice call out. I can see outside the barrier, but it's like trying to look through a thin fog.

"Alice?" I call out. She looks right at me, or right at the direction of where I am.

"Jasper? Where are you? Why can't I see or smell you?" she asks. "I can't see you at all, psychically, I mean."

"No idea, um… Opal and I seem to be in some kind of physical manifestation of our emotions." I realize I'm still very intimately connected with her, wondering if breaking our connection will break the bubble. Alice has seen me naked enough times to last for an eternity; she doesn't need to see me again. "Um, turn around, Alice."

"What? Why? Oh God, are you two-, gross!" she yells, turning around, giggling to herself. I reluctantly remove myself from Opal, feeling the loss of her warmth. As I look around, I see the bubble is still intact. I press my finger to it, and it moves slightly, but doesn't break. I'm able to get my pants on, but Opal's clothes all seem to be outside the bubble.

Sensing my thoughts, she says, "Maybe if we walk, the bubble will move with us?" I nod to her suggestion, taking her hand in mine. Sure enough, as we move, the bubble moves with us, bringing in other items of clothing as we move over them.

"How are you making your clothes disappear?" Alice asks.

"Um, well we're not sure how to stop the bubble, and we wanted to dress, so we're walking around finding items and bringing them into the bubble. I guess they disappear once we pick them up or something," Opal explains.

"Carlisle and Eleazer are going to have a field day with this!" Alice exclaims.

"Can we keep a lid on it for now, Ali?" Opal asks. Alice asks her why. "Because I don't want anyone to be unfocused on the fight, if they're busy thinking about some physical manifestation of an emotional connection between Jasper and I, they might falter, and it might cost them their lives."

"Okay fine, I'll keep my mouth shut, but you must promise to tell them as soon as the fight is over."

"Scout's honor," Opal replies, giving a gesture that Alice can't even see.

"We're getting ready to go on our last hunt, and I wanted to make sure you two weren't still gallivanting around here. No one wants to walk in on what I just did, even if I couldn't see it. We'll all be gone two days, so you have the house to yourselves. I don't know how she did it, but Bella convinced Edward to come along. You know how he hates to leave her, but the wolves are nearby and they'll keep an eye on her and Beck while we're gone. They've got their daggers, too, just in case." And with that, she's gone, headed back to join the rest of the family.

Once she's out of eye shot, Opal and I let go of each other to see what happens if we aren't touching. Miraculously, the bubble remains intact. Opal and I finish dressing and make our way back to the house at our own pace. We see the shimmering balloon around us the entire time, so we appear to be shielded from anyone's vision. "What do you make of this, Honey?" she asks me.

"Honey?"

"It's the color of your hair, and reminds me of your scent, hush. So what do you think?"

"I think we both just went through some serious emotional trauma," I reply. "You thought that Paul was going to kill me, and then I watched as you killed Paul, completely terrified that he was going to harm you somehow. We reconnected with each other, confirming the depth of our love and need for one another. I think based on my gift, and your ability to hone into my mood, that it created a physical manifestation to protect us from others."

"How do you think we get out of it?" she asks.

"No idea, darlin', but part of me hopes it stays in place even through the battle. How awesome would it be to be the two invisible fighters?" She giggles in response, and slaps me playfully.

"Let's play a joke on Emmett!" she exclaims after a moment. "Oh, Jazz, it'll be the best!" Her mood becomes mischievous and playful as she considers how to pull a prank on my biggest brother. "Didn't Alice say she couldn't see or smell us? Oh this is gonna be great!" She starts jumping up and down, making the glittery-ness of our bubble shimmer in response, showing off her giddiness.

We spend the next two days in each other's arms for the most part, enjoying our time alone in the big house. The bubble around us never goes away, never dissipates or even shows a sign of weakening. Though we haven't tested it with much distance, with her wanting to prank Emmett, and my wanting us to be invisible on the battlefield tomorrow.

I tell her I can hear the others returning, and she makes to begin her plan to give Emmett the biggest scare of his life. I wonder if Alice saw the plan for any of this. She mentioned she couldn't _see_ us at all, so this is likely going to be a surprise for all of them. Especially since we asked her to keep a lid on it.

We slink into Emmett's closet, and she perches on top of his hamper where he throws his hunting clothes after every trip. I know well enough that Rosalie won't touch him when he's dirty after wrestling with a bear, so he'll have to shower before she'll give him the time of day. I hear him trudge up the stairs, curious because all of them mentioned that there were signs of life in the house, but no traces of our scents anywhere. Opal stifles a giggle as Emmett enters the room. I'm hidden behind the rows of shirts, waiting for the big event. "I wonder where the hell they are," he asks himself. "They had better be alright, and if they're playing a joke, I'm gonna whoop them both." I glance at Opal who is grinning big time, maintaining her perch atop the hamper. I realize now what she's planning to do. Emmett walks into the closet and takes off his shirt. He looks around, feeling puzzled, but shrugs and throws his shirt at the hamper, which the bubble shield reflects and it falls to the floor.

"What the-" Emmett says, picking up the shirt and looking it over, trying to figure out what kind of sorcery caused him to miss the basket. "I'm a vampire; I never miss." He places it right above the hamper, inches above Opal and drops it down. It sits on top of the bubble for a second before sliding off the side and to the ground, once again.

"Everyone!" he yells out. "Get in here now!" within seconds the entire family plus the Denalis are in the room, peering into the closet. Opal picks this moment to hop off the hamper and sit beside it. "There's something weird going on," he begins, telling them how he tried to put the shirt in the hamper twice, but it's throwing it back.

"I want to not believe you, Em, because it's ridiculous. But I can see the memory of it in your thoughts. It's like there's an invisible barrier on top of the hamper, keeping his shirt from going in." Alice's mood changes to understanding, but she must be blocking her thoughts, as it doesn't tip off Edward.

"See!" Emmett begins again, dropping the shirt into the hamper. It goes in this time, of course, since Opal moved from her spot. "What the hell?" At this point Opal can't contain her laughter anymore, and frankly, neither can I. We both bust up laughing, causing the shirts on the hangers to shake, some falling to the ground.

"Why can't I see you two?" he yells. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Emmett! Language!" Esme scolds. "But he's right, you two. Where are you and how are you doing this?"


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Opal PoV

"We're in the closet with you," I say, trying to keep from giggling. I reach down to pick up the hamper, which then disappears into our bubble, and everyone gasps. I toss it up a few times, catching it and making it disappear again. Emmett moves in between Jasper and I and attempts to snatch it away from us. We're playing a very humorous game of Monkey in the Middle. The only way it could be better is if our bubble was sound proof, too. But with vampire hearing, Emmett can hear each shuffle of our feet, to try and anticipate our next move. After a while, we stop playing, and I just simply hold the basket in my arms, being sure to touch it with my palms.

"Where's my basket?!" Emmett yells.

"Right here," I say just as I let go, having chucked it right at his face. He had no time to react, so it actually hit him square in the nose, the clothes scattering all over the floor and the others in the room with us. Jasper bursts into laughter again and I join him.

"Enough," Carlisle commands. "Please tell us what is going on and why we can't see you."

"Well, our best guess is that our emotions have manifested into a physical shield around us. Our deep rooted need to protect each other along with the love we feel has encircled us in this bubble. We haven't bothered to try to get out of it because it will come in handy tomorrow," Jasper explains. "We're both all for experiments on it to test it out, but we don't want to break it until after the fight is over."

"I definitely want to be there for the experiments," Eleazer says popping his head around the corner of the door frame. Emmett is still standing still as a statue, trying to wrap his head around the fact that we just pulled a prank on him. Eleazer reaches out tentatively to locate us, but is a few inches off.

"Not even close, El," Jasper jokes.

"I wonder if you can pull others into the bubble," Carlisle ponders.

"As you saw, we can pull inanimate objects into it. We have to be touching said object with our hands, though. But I don't want to try pulling anyone in until after the battle. If Opal and I can keep up this invisibility, we'll be unstoppable on the field. Hell I'll even let her fight along side me," Jasper says.

"As if I'd have it any other way," I reply, gazing at him adoringly. "You'd have had to strap me into a straightjacket and sedate me heavily for me to stay out of it. And be reminded it would take enough sedatives to knock out 200 head of cattle to have any effect on me."

"Us too," Bella and Beck say in unison. Edward and Alice share an exasperated sigh, knowing they'd beat that bush to dust, but that Bella and Beck were bound and determined to be there. And they'd find a way, too. Edward had considered leaving them at the house with Esme or one of the younger wolves to look after them, but knowing his mate, she'd have found a way to elude them and try and get to the battlefield. Likely causing many injuries in the process. Beck is the same way. Alice has even seen her trying to stumble her way through the forest in the dark without even a flashlight or a compass, heading where she thinks was the clearing. She ends up heading right into a group of newborns that are waiting in the wings for the next wave of battle. Maria captures her, threatening to lock her away as her own personal blood bag for the next hundred years if we don't give up Jasper.

After that vision, I knew that all three of us Silverbloods have to be in the clearing. The only way we'll all be safe is if we're all together. Now, Jasper and I will be able to fight together, moving across the field undetected by scent at the very least. We surmise that the fight itself will be loud enough that we'll be able to move about without any newborns differentiating our steps from anyone else's. Effectively sneaking up on every single one of them confusing the others, and killing the lot of them. We'll try and let the others get a few in, too.

Since everyone else hunted excessively for this event, Bella, Beck and I decide to eat well, too. Bella pulls out a bunch of ingredients and sets out to make one of her favorite dishes. Beck and I do the same. It will be a true feast for us before we do the unthinkable and face off against at least two dozen newborns. While we all cook, Jasper, Alice and Edward set the table and provide company. Jasper and I are still in our bubble, so everything I pick up disappears as I go about making my addition to the meal. "I don't know how many things have to disappear for me to stop freaking out every time," Bella says. "You guys could put on the greatest magician act ever. Especially if you master how to turn the bubble on and off."

"That's a novel idea. What do you think about that, Major?" I ask. "We could make a killing in Vegas."

"And do what during the day?" Edward asks. "It's sunny all the time there."

"Yeah, but there's so much glitter in that state, we could blame it all on that," I reply. We joke and jab for the duration of the cooking, me sneaking items away from Bella and Beck when they least expect it. I'd get away with it too if Alice, Edward and Jasper didn't burst into laughter every time. "Dammit Opal, I just want to cook this blasted dessert." Somehow Beck manages to get her arms around me, pinning my arms to my sides so I can't make anything else go invisible.

I fight against her, but she's nearly as strong as me, having my immortal blood in her veins, now. "Oh, I've been meaning to ask you all. Did Bella's and Beck's scents change at all when they got my blood?"

"For a while, they smelled more like you than their original scents. But now they're just an even more potent version than before," Edward replies.

"Edward, you didn't tell me that!" Bella admonishes. "So now my scent makes your throat burn even more?"

"Not exactly," Edward replies. "You're still very much my singer, Bella. But your scent doesn't trigger the bloodlust in me. It draws me in, makes me crave _you_, but not your blood."

"It's the same for me," Alice adds. "Edward can't agree with this since he's such a prude, but I think the transition turned my bloodlust into just plain ol' lust."

"Oh so that's why you can't keep your hands off me most of the time," Beck jokes. Bella scowls at Edward and gives him a look that says, "as soon as this battle is over, your virtue is mine." I don't know why Edward holds onto his Victorian ideals. It's the 21st century for goodness' sake. I might have to have a chat with that boy when this is all said and done.

Bella makes a delicious beef stew, I make buttermilk biscuits, and Beck created what she calls her specialty, peach cobbler. "Being a southern girl, I know a thing or two about cobblers, and this, honey, is amazing," I tell her after digging into my heaping portion.

"Thanks, Opal. Your biscuits are to die for, too. I swear they're going straight to my hips, though," she replies.

"One of the great things about being a Silverblood is we can eat as much as we want, and never gain an ounce."

"Really?" they chorus in unison.

"Yep. We could eat all day every day without stopping and never gain any weight. We can feel full though, so if you're not a fan of that feeling, I'd advise against binging too often. Our bodies metabolize the food fast enough that it never converts to fat stores. You might notice that you've had a significant increase in your appetites, and that's why. Our bodies burn through calories much faster than normal humans, so we have to eat more to keep up. Though with how much we all love to cook, and how well stocked the kitchen always is, I doubt we'll have any troubles with that, eh?"

"I'm so enrolling you guys in as many food eating contests as I can find," Emmett says, having overheard our conversation from the other room. Alice admonishes him, but Beck tells him it's a great idea.

Once we're finished and the dishes are cleaned, the three of us climb onto the backs of our prospective mates and off we go to wait for Victoria, Maria and their armies. The wolves join us soon thereafter, keeping to the trees to attempt to remain a mystery as long as possible. Victoria knows about the wolves, no doubt, though who knows if she's told her newborns about them. I don't know whether or not Maria ever fought Pedro Villa and his shape shifters, so she may not be in the know either. That coupled with the fact that Victoria's intended targets are now immortal add to our odds of victory.

Alice is pissed as she can't see the battle at all, what with the interference from the wolves, and her inability to see me. All she can pinpoint is when the newborns catch Bella's scent, that had been stolen from her bedroom via a blouse and given to them to memorize so they could find their way here. "They've found the trail near the highway. They should be here in seven minutes if they're all sprinting," she guesses.

And we settle in to wait, the lot of us poised and ready for battle. Jasper takes point, flanked by me at his left side, and Emmett at his right. Alice is slightly behind me, with Edward standing opposite her, behind Emmett. Carlisle, Rosalie, and Esme take up the rear, Bella and Beck standing between them, holding their werewolf daggers in one hand and the open vials of saliva in the other.

Peter and Charlotte are about thirty yards to our left, closest to the tree line, ready to intercept any that deviate from the trail. Eleazer, Carmen, And Kate are at the back left side of the clearing, Tanya, Irina and Laurent are perched on an outcropping of rock, ready to jump on the backs of any one that crosses their path.

Jasper hears them a moment before the others, and a minute before I do. They're coming fast, growling and snarling as they run. They can smell Bella and Beck here, and know that they're about to get their reward. Rather than charging them, we hold our stances, waiting for them to come to us. Of course they'll think that Emmett and Alice are at the front, but little do they know they're about to get stealthily killed by none other than my Major and me.

"Mine!" one growls as he rushes through the trees, making a beeline for Bella. Jasper quickly intercepts him, wrapping his arm around his neck and squeezing his head from his body. I set about cutting the arms and legs off the torso and throwing them into a pile. Bella and Beck pull out their lighters to light the pyre, and so the battle begins. As Jasper finishes beheading the first newborn, another lunges for Beck, and is caught deftly be Rosalie. She holds him immobile while Emmett wrenches off his head, throwing it into the now raging inferno while Rosalie tosses the lifeless body on top.

Bella and Beck take responsibility for collecting the pieces and throwing them into the fire. Considering we're all but immune to flames, it's best for a Silverblood to be nearest the pyre.

I can see Edward and Alice working to keep the newborns away from their mates, but they hardly need to. There are enough of us that we can get through all of them, with little difficulty. Over and over I dip my dagger into the saliva and slice a newborn from navel to nose, or across their shoulder blades. Jasper is quick to follow by tearing them apart and tossing the remains onto the every growing bonfire of vampire limbs behind us.

I catch Peter and Charlotte engaging in what looks like a waltz with a pair of newborns. Charlotte is twirling about, keeping the male a distance away from the rest of us, while Peter eyes the female seductively. Jasper had explained that this was their tactic. They lured in the newborns as if they were luring in human prey. Even vampires are susceptible to dazzling. New ones, anyway. I watch attentively as Charlotte leans in, as if to kiss the male, and instead her teeth meet his neck. A moment later, she's literally bitten off his head and is tossing it in my general direction to throw in the pile with the others. I catch it with little difficulty and rush over to collect the rest of the corpse while she goes off to play her game with another vampire.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a wolf emerging from the trees, several twitching limbs in his mouth as he carries them to the fire. Another wolf follows, his mouth similarly full, only with three heads that are frozen in a silent scream of pain. Every time Jasper or I happen upon a newborn, others jump back in confusion trying to figure out how their comrades are being torn apart by an invisible force. Soon we have all the newborns backed up against a boulder, many of them begging to be spared. Esme so nearly allows one young girl to surrender, until she tries to bite Beck. Then all bets are off. Esme tears her head off so cleanly, you'd think she'd done it a thousand times, instead of today being her first time.

The last of the grouping meet their end, and as we turn to fight more, we see the clearing is now empty. The screams quiet, the pyre reduces to smoldering ashes, and every newborn that entered the clearing has died at our hands, teeth, claws and daggers. "The wolves are running a perimeter to make sure we got all of them," Edward translates. I look around me and several wolves emerge from the forest, I analyze each one to make sure they're not mortally injured. It doesn't appear that any of them have been bitten. The Jacob wolf saunters up to Bella and Beck and presses his nose to their shoulders in affection. They each reach out and ruffle one of his ears, thanking him silently for fighting for them.

"Where are Victoria and Maria?" Rosalie asks, looking around the clearing and up into the trees for any sign of them.

"Better yet, where's Alice," I ask. I search around and cannot see her anywhere. I hope to god one of the wolves didn't mistake her for a newborn and tear her apart. Before I can worry about that, I catch a glimpse of fiery red hair in the distance, that can only belong to the legendary Victoria. She is followed closely by Maria, who I'd know anywhere. As they near, I notice that Victoria has a lifeless body tossed over her shoulder. It's too tiny to be anyone but Alice. As she splits apart from Maria, I see Alice's head, dangling by a designer earring from Maria's hand. When did she leave the clearing?

I can see Beck start to tremble, her knees going weak as she sees her mate in pieces. "We can heal her," I whisper to her. She looks at the empty space where I'm standing, devastation written all over her face. "Our blood can heal her," I promise. She nods, a small glimmer of hope brightening her eyes. Everyone else's faces soften slightly, but yet still painted in sorrow and despair.

"Darlin,' I've never seen a vampire come back from being beheaded," Jasper whispers to me.

"That was before you knew about Silverbloods, Major," I reply. Victoria and Maria approach slowly, taking in the devastated expressions of everyone here.

"Where's Jasper?!" Maria hisses. If you want any kind of funeral for your little witch here, you'll hand him over, and your humans to my friend, or so help me I'll set her ablaze right now." To enforce her threat, she pulls out a lighter, flicks the igniter and holds the flame dangerously close to a lock of Alice's inky hair.

I touch Jasper's arm and indicate that he and I should slink forward, and attempt to catch them off guard. "Maria's mine," I mouth to him. He nods at me, grasping my hand and pulls me forward. Once we're about three feet in front of them, we part ways. I silently dip my dagger in saliva and plant myself directly in front of Maria. Victoria's sense of evasion is going crazy and she attempts to back up. Little does she know that Jasper has moved around behind her and is about to catch her in a choke hold. Just as he grabs her, I take the dagger and slice it across Maria's face. She screams in agony, her hands clutching at her face as it slowly disintegrates into ash. I slice across her midsection, and each of her arms, repeating all of the injuries she ever inflicted upon me.

Before taking off her ears and mouth, I whisper, "Remember me?"

"Opal?" she asks, recognizing my voice.

"Yep," I reply simply just before cutting off her head at her jaw.

Soon she is reduced to a pile of ashes, her legs the last to change as the saliva seeps its way into her venom filled veins. I turn to look at Jasper who is busy picking up pieces of Victoria, setting each one on fire individually. I reach down and pick up Alice's head in my hand while Jasper cradles her body in her arms. Everyone in the clearing gasps, as they see her body disappear into our bubble. Once we reach the family, we set her down gently and I place her head just above her neck. Beck is still sobbing uncontrollably, nearly in hysterics, and I can see that she will not be able to heal Alice on her own. Bella is crying into Edward's shoulder. Despite my assurances that Alice will be fine, they all believe that once beheaded, always dead.

I bite into my own wrist and let the blood pour out of the veins and onto Alice's body. I coat her neck with it, and her head where it was severed. I then hold her head up to her body, lining up all the cracks and fissures so she'll heal with little to no scarring.

Before our eyes, her skin begins to knit back together, my blood acting as an adhesive, moving into her veins, revitalizing her, and reactivating her own healing abilities. Once I see her neck fully reattached, I hold my wrist out in front of her mouth, letting the blood drip onto her lips. Automatically, her tongue darts out to lick the drops and she growls for more. Her eyes flutter open and they are completely black with thirst, not even the whites are showing. I hold my wrist to her mouth and encourage her to drink.

She sucks down my blood greedily, her eyes closing as she drinks. Soon her arms begin to respond to her commands again and reach up to hold my wrist in place. As if I had any intention of moving it until she got her fill. "Beck, look!" Bella cries out, pulling Beck out of her hysteria. Beck casts a slow glance at Alice, and sees her alive.

"I know this is supposed to be a serious moment, but is anyone else weirded out by seeing blood being sucked out of an invisible wrist and into Alice's open mouth?" Emmett asks.

"Leave it to you to lighten the mood, Emmett," Esme says, rubbing his shoulder affectionately.

"I estimate she's taken in about 5.4 liters so far," Carlisle says, effectively ending the light mood, but not necessarily darkening it. "How much will she need?" he asks.

"As much as it takes," I reply. "She'll know when she's had enough." And as if I cued it, she pulls her lips away from my wrist and licks them, catching every drop. My wrist knits together as always, a new Alice shaped scar marring the flesh. Jasper takes my hand in his and kisses it, then presses a row of kisses along the new scars.

"You saved her," Beck says, crossing the space, kneeling down next to her mate. She strokes Alice's hair and face as she gazes deeply into her still black eyes. Alice slowly sits up with Beck's assistance, and attempts to stand.

"Take it easy, Ali," I warn. "It'll take your limbs a little while to start functioning properly."

"What happened?" she asks.

"Maria and Victoria beheaded you," I reply. She gapes at me, her eyes like wide onyx stones. "I knew from experience that my blood can bring vampires back from that. I can't do anything about ash, but even torn into a million pieces, my blood can put you back together. You were only in two pieces though."

"Why did you wander away from the clearing?" Beck asks.

"I had a vision of Maria and Victoria sneaking up on us on our way back home. I know you can't die now, babe, but I still don't want you to be hurt. So I went after them to try and divert them from their plan, but a wolf was too close and I lost my sight, and then everything went black. I guess I'm no match for Maria. Not without my gift."

"Alice, you silly, stupid woman," Beck replies. She presses her forehead to Alice's and cradles her face in her hands. "I thought I lost you," a tear falls from Beck's cheek onto Alice's.

"We'll always find our way back to each other," Alice assures her.

"I should have been the one to save you. I just… I couldn't. Opal said we could heal you, but I couldn't… I didn't believe. I tried to, but I didn't. I'm so sorry."

"No, no, baby," Alice soothes, pulling Beck into her arms. "You're so new to this life. So new to knowing about vampires. Opal's been around a long time. Longer than me or Edward or Esme, even. It's not your job to know."

"You can still help her, Beck," I tell her.

"How?" she asks, desperately.

"Alice will need to keep feeding every couple hours. Just as much as she took from me. You can be the one to give her that, if you want. I'm happy to do it, since it doesn't hurt me. But it is an option for you."

"No, Beck," Alice says. "I'm not drinking from you."

"Why not? It'll make you better faster."

"Because it will hurt you! I don't want to hurt you."

"You can't hurt me Alice. You of all people know that nothing you could do could ever hurt me, aside from taking yourself away from me. Don't ever do that again."

"Deal," Alice agrees. Then her eyes glaze over. Her gift is already working again. She gasps loudly and grips Beck tightly to her. "No, they can't have you!" she yells. "Ali, baby, you're hurting me," Beck hisses through clenched teeth. Alice doesn't relent, only holds her tighter. I hear a bone crack, followed by another one. Beck holds in her cries of pain, knowing there's a reason that Alice is panicking so much.

"Edward, what is she seeing?" Carlisle asks, as Emmett attempts to break Alice's grip on Beck.

"It's coming so fast, it's hard to see. Black cloaks, red eyes. I think it's the Volturi."

"What do they want? Why are they coming? How do they know about this?"

"They probably saw the destruction and death that Victoria's newborns were causing. Or perhaps the trail of deaths that Maria's left on their journey here. Neither Victoria nor Maria were very discreet with this. Which as Jasper has told me, is surprising for Maria. It's almost as if she wanted the Volturi to know what she was up to."

"They want your Silverbloods," Tanya interjects. "They'll kill all of you to get them, Carlisle. The only way to stop them is if each Silverblood is mated," Tanya explains.

"Well they are," Carlisle responds, looking at each of us.

Tanya looks into Bella's and Beck's. "No they're not. Not yet."

"How long, Alice?" Jasper asks, trying to pull Alice out of her panic, by sending her waves of calm that emanate all around him and into all of us.

"Two, maybe three days, tops. They wanted to see what Victoria and Maria's armies were able to do to us. In case it helped them lower our numbers. I doubt they counted on the wolves' presence."

"Ok, Tanya," Jasper addresses the strawberry blonde vampire. "Start talking."


	14. Chapter 14

LEMONS GALORE IN THIS CHAPTER!

* * *

Chapter 14

Jasper PoV

We all look at Tanya, confused and expectant. I know damn well that Opal is my mate; what is she playing at?

"The Silverbloods need to be fed from by their true mate while making love. That solidifies the mating bond. Vampires mark each other when they mate; it's much the same here. You'll be able to tell because your eyes will change. Even the vampires' eyes will change. If the Volturi see that you're all truly mated, they'll have no choice but to leave you in peace."

"How is it you know so much about Silverbloods?" I ask.

"As you know, our mother was killed for creating an immortal child. She kept him hidden from the Volturi and from us for decades because she had a Silverblood. He wasn't her true mate, but she and the immortal child fed from him all the time. When the Silverblood did find his true vampire mate, our mother and the child were not able to feed from him any more. The child grew hungry and restless, and well you know the rest of that story." I make a mental note to fill Opal in, as she's emanating confusion. "Any vampire that bites a mated Silverblood dies almost instantly. The blood is toxic to any vampire that isn't his or her mate. And as far as I know, the vampire becomes truly immortal, and impossible to kill.

"I was with one for a time, too. Back in my succubus days. He was a real treat," she says, full of nostalgia. "I was in love with that man. Yet we were not to be together forever, as you can see."

I'm left more confused than I was before Tanya explained about mated Silverbloods, but at least less worried about the Volturi taking Opal from me. "So all we have to do is make love and I have to bite her?" I ask.

"She'll bite you too," Tanya replies. "As for you two," she says, turning to Alice and Beck, "I'm not sure how it works with two women, since there's no way for you to be intimately joined."

"I'm sure we'll find a way, or at least have fun trying, right Ali-babe?" Beck encourages. Alice gives her a small nod and smile in return. She's still very weak and worried over the vision she just had. "How will we know?"

"If you make love at night, for example, when you get up the next morning, your eyes will be different. I've never seen it myself, but they won't be red from hunting humans, nor will they be gold from hunting animals." We head back to the house considering all that has happened.

Alice died. She was dead, but my Opal brought her back. How many fallen soldiers could have been revived during my years in the wars? Peter and Charlotte weren't the only friends I made at that time. "How many vampires have you brought back to life like that?" I ask Opal.

"Only a handful, and only when forced to do so. I remember one that had been in so many pieces, we placed her in a large crate, basically a coffin. The coven leader then slit open my vein and made me keep it open until the box was full to the brim with my blood, coating every piece. Eventually, the blood seeped into all the tissues, and the pieces found their way back together. It took a couple weeks, and then a _lot_ of feedings, but it healed her."

"I wonder if even the Volturi know about this," Eleazer muses. "Hell, they never even told _me_ about Silverbloods. I also wonder what else they keep hidden in their histories, or even destroy evidence of to prevent anyone from overthrowing them."

"My hypothesis has always been that the disappearance of the scrolls from the library at Alexandria was their doing," Opal adds. Smart one, my mate. She's probably right.

Once we're back at the house, Alice starts to get restless. "She needs to feed again," Opal says. "She'll get like this every few hours until she's fully healed. Might take a day or two."

"We don't have that much time!" Beck replies as she takes a knife and slices across her wrist, thrusting it into Alice's now open mouth. "We have to figure out this whole Silverblood-vampire mating bond thing. It'll be easy for you four, but not so much for us!" I tune into Opal's mood which is deliberative and calculating. I glance at her and she appears deep in thought, as if she's trying to figure a way that Alice and Beck can join intimately while biting each other to complete their bond.

"What if we're not your true mates?" Bella asks, quietly.

"What?" Edward replies. "Of course you are. Bella, I love you more than anything on this planet. You are my life, my existence."

"I'm not doubting your love for me Edward, if anything you've proved it time and again. And I love you more than my own life; you know that. But what if we're not true mates? Tanya said she was in love with the Silverblood she was with for so long, and they weren't mates. How do we know that we are?" she asks.

"Trust me, Bella," I tell her. She glances at me, only slightly to the left of where I'm standing. Now this bubble is starting to get annoying. "You and Edward are just as much mates as Carlisle and Esme, Rosalie and Emmett, Carmen and Eleazer… need I go on? I can feel the connection between you two. It's so strong, it has nearly knocked me down a time or two. Same for Alice and Beck. Why do you think I had to leave for a while? I couldn't handle it. Especially once Alice and Beck started to get… intimate. Their love, lust, and need for each other was palpable. I knew that newly mated pairs were a handful, but that was something else. And it'll only be worse with you two."

"I have an idea," Opal says. She walks over to Rosalie, and touches her hand to her face. Instantly, Rosalie is pulled into the bubble with her and I. Rosalie blinks a few times, realizing she can suddenly see us. Immediately, she throws her arms around Opal, squeezing her tightly.

"If I didn't already think of you as a sister, I certainly do now. Thank you for killing Maria, and thank you for saving Alice. I don't know how we'd all go on without her."

"Rosie?" Emmett calls out. "Where'd you go?" he asks.

"I'm right here, you big goon," she replies, punching his shoulder. He grimaces, rubs his shoulder and looks around anxiously. I can tell he doesn't like not being able to see her. Opal releases her from her touch and Rosalie is instantly visible to everyone else in the room.

"I stopped being able to see you when you were in there, Rose," Alice says. "Whatever that bubble is, it's very powerful."

"Okay, so we have a plan B, then," Opal says. We all look at her questioningly. If we pull all of you into the bubble, the Volturi will have nothing to find when they get here. If we keep as silent as possible, they will possibly be right in the room with us, but unable to see, smell, sense or hear us."

"What about Demetri?" Eleazer asks. "He's a tracker. He can find anyone on the planet, no matter where they are. All he has to do is have met you once."

"Edward, can you hear Jasper?" Opal asks. He shakes his head, his face colored with surprise as if he's just now realizing it. "Okay then my ability to block you must be part of this shield thingy. Also, this bubble is created by my emotions and Jasper's emotions. It's part of us. When we bring you into it, we bring you into us. Shrouding you with our own selves. I've never met Demetri, and I'd venture a guess that the Major hasn't either, right?" She glances at me, and I give my affirmation. "There, if his ability isn't rendered useless by my damaged brain's awesome ability to block mental gifts, then the fact that he can't track me should help, right?"

"You are far too smart for your own good," I tell her.

"What's the timeline, Alice?" Opal asks.

"We have maybe 48 hours before they get here," Alice replies.

"Okay, then lets get to mating!" Opal says, clapping her hands together. She drags me out of the house and towards our little cottage. I look back at a grinning Emmett who plans to do exactly what we're doing, even though he knows he already bears his mate's mark, and she his.

"Opal, what are you doing?" I ask. She's already naked and laying in the bed before I had even shut the door.

"Getting ready, what does it look like?" she replies as she wiggles to the middle of the bed. "We need to be mated; officially mated before two days from now. We need to get going on that."

"You're cutting out all the romance, darlin," I tell her.

*** Part 2 ***

Edward and Bella

The night after the epic battle, Edward takes Bella back to her home. Her father has gone on a weekend long fishing trip with his best friend Billy. Bella decides that this will be the best night of any to attempt their mating bond. She tells him so.

"Bella, I wanted this to be so much more than just a mating bond," Edward tells her. Bella fights against every cell in her body from rolling her eyes.

"Edward, I've been trying to get into your pants practically since we met. I know you had higher expectations, and you have your Victorian morals, but this is the 21st century. People don't do it that way anymore. You've given me lecture after lecture about wanting to save my virtue, but honestly, I don't know what could cement our relationship more than being truly connected as mates. Tanya says there will be _physical_ changes in us, something that tells the world that we're a mated pair. Not even mated vampires get that, right?"

"No, they don't," he agrees.

"This means more to me than any ring ever could, or ceremony, or piece of paper. This is something that only you and I get to share. And it only happens once. Sure we'll make love more than once, well, a lot if I have anything to say about it. But the Silverblood-Vampire mating ritual sounds like a big deal. If not even the Volturi can touch us once we've done it, what more could there be to us?"

"You're right," he contends.

"I'm what?" she asks, bewildered.

"You're right, Bella. I agree with you. There's nothing I've wanted more than to make love to you, since I've known you. It's been at the forefront of my thoughts for a long time."

"Really?"

"Yes, love. Let's just say, I'm glad I'm the only one that can read minds in the family."

"Well then, I say a little less conversation and a little more action, Cullen."

"I will make an honest woman out of you yet, you know," he replies as she climbs on top of him and pushes him down onto the bed.

"I'll believe that when I see it." She sets about undoing the buttons on his shirt. This is nothing new for them, as she made it a requirement some time ago that if he was in bed with her, then his shirt was on the floor. Most of the time, she was wrapped up like a burrito in the layers of blankets, but at least she could look at and touch his perfectly chiseled torso.

As she pushes apart his shirt, she rakes her eyes across his chest, followed by her fingernails. He hisses at her touch. "I can actually feel the scratches now," he whispers.

"Oh did I hurt you?" she worries, sitting straight up and pulling her hands away from him.

"No, love. I, ah, I think I like to be scratched," he replies shyly. If he could blush, he'd be six shades of crimson. Bella takes that as a signal to do it again. She leans down, pressing her lips firmly against his, and scratches his shoulders down to his elbows and forearms. He then wraps his arms firmly around her waist, his fingers trailing up her back. A brief ripping sound, and her shirt is no more. It takes a moment for Bella to realize that he'd ripped off her bra as well. The realization hits her when one of his hands cups her bare breast.

She gasps in surprise but then pushes his hand more firmly against her, urging him to be rougher. "Please touch me, Edward," she requests. He flips them over so she is lying on her back beneath him now. Before she can beg again, his mouth is on her peak, taking her soft, warm nipple in between his lips, nipping her gently. His tongue pops out and sweeps over the bud, hardening it, and causing her to writhe beneath him. As he looks down, he sees her rubbing her legs together, trying to find friction for the ache that's building between them. Her hands slide down his torso and to his belt buckle, deftly undoing it, the button and the zipper of his jeans. She hooks her thumbs into his belt loops and pushes them down his hips as far as her arms will go.

When she can't reach any further, she brings her feet up on either side of him, pushing his pants and boxers down the rest of the way. He kicks them off his ankles leaving him completely naked above her, save for his socks, which he then removes.

"You've got entirely too many clothes on, Miss Swan," he teases.

"What do you plan to do about it, Mr. Cullen?" she responds.

He trails his fingers down her bare torso to her navel, swirling around before sliding along the waist band of her jeans. She's panting louder and louder as he continues, signaling to him that she's enjoying the teasing. "Please Edward," she cries out.

"Please what, love?" he asks, acting innocent.

"Undress me, make love to me, fuck me, all of the above, please. Just do it!" she demands. With that he undoes the button and zipper of her pants and yanks them down her legs with her panties. Her socks meet his on the floor and now they are both completely naked, on display for each other. Bella shows no hint of remorse nor shyness in front of him. Neither of them have ever been seen naked before by anyone but their own reflection.

"You are so beautiful," he tells her as his eyes follow every curve of her body, drinking in her creamy skin. "I want you so much."

"Then have me, Edward. All of me. I'm yours. Always have been, and always will be," she promises.

He leans down and kisses her passionately, trailing his tongue along her bottom lip, asking for entrance. She grants it, and groans as his tongue meets hers for the first time. When she was human, kissing like this was dangerous. But now that the most his venom can do is sting her a little bit, he's less worried. He still makes sure to keep her tongue out of his mouth and away from his teeth, to be sure.

Her fingers move down his side to his hips, her fingers digging into his flesh as he lavishes her body with kisses. Her hand moves around slightly and takes his engorged member in her grip. She strokes him gently, softly. Just enough to make him want more. She notes how big and long he is, wondering at how it's going to fit. She isn't as petite as Alice, but good God. "God Bella, that feels amazing," he says.

"Touch me, Edward," she requests. He's all too willing to do as she says, as his hand moves between her legs, searching out her warmth. His fingers still as they pass through the soft curls and to her sex for the very first time. He slides one finger along the slit that's already slick with her arousal. "Yes Edward," she calls out. Feeling bolder, he presses his thumb against her sensitive nub, causing her to buck against him. He then slides one finger inside her, feeling her walls tighten around him. Her body tenses, not used to this kind of feeling.

"Relax, love," he soothes, pressing a kiss to her chest, over her heart. "I don't want it to hurt, but I know it will. At first, at least."

"Edward, I love you so much. I don't care how much it's going to hurt. I want to be one with you." Taking that as his cue, he moves over her, placing himself at her entrance. She helps by moving her legs further apart and wrapping them around his hips. Slowly, he pushes into her, fighting the urge to thrust roughly, as is his nature. Her body stretches around him, accommodating him as he moves deeper. Once he reaches her barrier, he looks into her eyes, asking for permission, silently. She nods and he quickly breaks through, stilling once he's buried to the hilt inside her. She hissed for a moment at the pain, but it subsided quickly. The coolness of him numbing the pain instantly.

"Oh God, Bella," he breathes into her neck. He's fighting every instinct in his body from thrusting wildly. "Are you alright?" he asks. She nods again.

"Opal said to have you stay put for a few minutes, otherwise my hymen will heal, making me physically a virgin again, but if you stay there, it'll heal open." He lowers himself to his elbows, his cold body flush against hers. Bella adjusts herself to the feeling of him filling her, realizing it's becoming rather pleasant. She explores the connection with her mind, knowing she's finally one with her love.

"I'm not sure when I'm supposed to bite you," he whispers.

"When feels natural?" she asks.

"I suppose when I climax, I guess that's when the compulsion to mark one's mate is the strongest. But Bella, I don't want to hurt you, and I know it will."

"Edward, you already know what one thing can truly hurt me. Any physical pain is peanuts compared to that."

"Me leaving you," he replies rhetorically. She nods. "Well, I won't be able to now. Now that we're officially mated, there's nothing on heaven or earth that can take me from you." She smiles at him, reaching her head up to kiss him.

"I think you can start moving now," Bella says, squeezing her thighs against him. He moves slowly out and then all the way back in again, feeling her walls constrict around him, holding him inside her like a vice.

"Oh, God, Bella. You're so warm," he tells her. She grips him tightly to her, their bodies flush against each other, rubbing together and creating the most delicious friction.

"You can use more strength, Edward," she says. "And more speed."

"Are you sure?" he asks. "Just because you'll heal doesn't mean I want to go crazy." She nods at him.

"Go crazy Edward. Make love to me the way you've always wanted. The way I've always wanted to you. I'm stronger than I used to be. You can afford to lose control."

Still unsure of himself, he only picks up the pace infinitesimally, and uses a fraction more force with each thrust. She begs him to go faster and harder promising she'll tell him if he begins to hurt her. Deciding to trust her knowledge of her own body, Edward picks up speed, thrusting into her much faster and harder than any human ever could. She tightens her legs around him, fisting her fingers in his hair, pulling hard on his locks. It's almost painful, but more pleasurable than anything. He crashes his hips into hers, mingling their tongues together, searching for as much connection to each other as they can possibly find.

"Oh god, Edward," she cries. "I think I'm going to… oh!"

"Me too, my love," he grits through his teeth. He can feel her walls pulsating around him with her climax, milking his own from him. As his climax reaches the peak, the natural vampiric compulsion to mark one's mate surfaces and he leans down to the place where her neck meets her shoulder and sinks his teeth into the soft flesh, without thinking twice about it. A second later, he feels his own skin being bitten in the same spot. He takes in a few pulls of her blood, before releasing her from his mouth. He hadn't tasted her since that fateful day in the ballet studio. Never in a million years did he dream he'd have the privilege again. Her blood is so rich, sweet, salty, all at the same time. She was made for him, and him alone. He growls lightly as he lets go. She lets go of him in the same instant, her lips glistening with venom, having drank from him as well.

"I love you," they chorus, smiling stupidly at each other. Still intimately connected, Edward rolls off Bella, pulling her with him to lay on their sides, facing each other. "Edward this is by far the best night of my life. I am so happy, I could just burst."

"I'd rather you stayed in one piece," he replies. She giggles and snuggles into him. He holds her tightly, and within a few minutes she falls into a peaceful contented sleep. While she's a sleep, Edward slips out of her, suddenly feeling weird at being inside her while she's fast asleep. Even though they were that way when she fell asleep, it just felt like an invasion of some kind.

In the morning, Edward hears Bella's heart rate begin to pick up and her breathing pattern begin to change, indicating she's waking up. Anxious to see the physical change that was supposed to occur, he starts peppering her shoulders with kisses. "Mmm, good morning lover," she whispers as she turns to face him.

As her eyes open and look into his, they both gasp. "Your eyes!" she yells. "They're silver!"

"What?" he says back, equally surprised as her. "Um, so are yours."

"What?!" she jumps out of her bed and hurries to the mirror above her dresser. Sure enough there's a ring of silver around her pupil, though most of her iris is still brown. Edward's eyes though, have gone completely silver. Gone is the warm honey she loved so much, and in its place a rich liquid silver, shimmering in the pale morning light. They're very beautiful, and she loves them, but so, so different. He appears behind her to examine his own eyes and is astonished to see she was right about the color.

"Well, now we know why you're called _Silver_bloods."

"Apparently," she replies. Absentmindedly, Bella's fingers trail down her forearm to circle around her ever familiar scar. The first mark that Edward gave her. While it was marred with James' venom too, Bella always considered it a love bite from him. A message that he loved her so much that he did everything in his power to save her. Even if it meant saving her from becoming a vampire, she knew he loved her. But as her fingers trace where she knows the crescents to be, all she feels is smooth warm flesh. She looks down at her arm to see the scar is completely gone.

"Edward, my scar is gone," she tells him, panicking. He looks at her arm to see that, true enough, it's not there. Not a trace of it. He glances up at her neck and sees that the mark he'd given her the night before was there, though it looks a bit different than a normal bite mark. It has a slight silvery sheen to it. She'd have to wear her hair over her left shoulder, or turtlenecks all the time to cover it up now. She looks up at his neck, and notices that only one scar is on it. "Didn't Carlisle bite both sides of your neck?" she asks.

"Yes, and my wrists and elbows," he replies, looking down at his wrists, only to find that those scars are gone. "Okay, how can _my_ scars be gone? That doesn't even make sense."

"Let's get dressed and see how Opal and Jasper and Alice and Beck fared with this whole process," she suggests. He agrees readily and within a few minutes they are on their way back to the Cullen compound.

Alice and Beck

"Beck, I don't know how we're going to do this," Alice says as they lay in bed together, ready to attempt to mark each other as mated. "I've already bitten you three times since the battle, and there aren't any changes, other than new scars on you."

"We haven't made love, Alice. Tanya said that was the key. That the two have to be making love and bite _each other_ while in the throes of passion."

"But she said we have to be intimately connected. How are we going to do that?" Alice has never been so pessimistic in all of her existence. Beck realizes her love has been this way ever since she awoke after having been decapitated. The memory makes her shiver.

"Alice, I love you. You love me. We're meant for each other and we both know it. I have no doubt that we will figure out how to do this. And we don't know that we have to be 'intimately connected.' Maybe we just have to be making love, which is the surest way to show our love to each other. And you know we know how to do that. Very well, I might add."

"You're right, babe," Alice agrees. "God, I love you. So much. Let me show you how much." She leans in and presses her lips to Beck's, increasing her passion as Beck wraps her arms around Alice's tiny shoulders. Before long, they are both completely naked and so wrapped up in each other it's hard to tell where one begins and the other ends. "Let's climax together and then bite each other, okay?" Alice suggests. Beck nods into her hair as she reaches between them to begin to pleasure her love. Alice follows suit and works her small, but very skilled fingers on Beck's core. Beck's fingers rub Alice's sensitive nub, feeling her arousal increase, and make her sex slick with her cool juices. She deftly slides one finger inside, followed by two. Her new strength makes it easier for her to move within Alice's stone body. When she was human, it was hard to get even one finger inside Alice's tight body let alone two. They'd had to resort to some custom ordered, industrial strength toys to use on Alice. But now her skin had hardened enough to get the job done herself.

"Oh god, Beck. That's amazing!" Alice cries. In response, Alice quickens her ministrations on Beck, knowing her own release is only moments away. She wants them to come together and bite together. "Beck, I'm going to come," she hisses.

"Me too, baby," Beck yells. They lean in towards each other share a passionate kiss and then latch onto each other's necks. Beck moans at the flavor of Alice's icy venom as it fills her mouth and slides down her throat. Alice takes long deep swallows of Beck's blood, savoring the flavor and the connection they're sharing. As they pull away from each other, they share one last kiss, Alice's venom mixing with Beck's blood in their mouths. Creating a whole new flavor that is unique to them.

They collapse against each other, panting heavily and basking in the glow of their love making. All too soon, Beck falls fast asleep, dreaming happily of her one true love. In the morning, she awakes to Alice humming lightly in her ear, and stroking her back with the lightest touch.

"Good morning darling," Beck calls.

"Good morning to you, my love," Alice replies, leaning down to cuddle close to Beck. Beck stretches lithely, her fingers dancing over the mark Alice has made on her neck. Ever so slowly she turns towards her, preparing herself mentally for whatever physical change hopefully happened as a result of last night. She looks up Alice's beautiful body, lingering on her subtle curves over her ample bosom, her graceful neck, pixie chin, full lips, button nose, and finally into her silver eyes. Wait. Silver eyes!?

"Alice your eyes are silver!" Beck declares. Alice looks deeply in to Beck's eyes and tells her the same thing. Together they head to the mirror over the vanity and see that sure enough, they have been marked as mated vampire and Silverblood. Alice's eyes glaze over for a few short seconds, then she picks Beck up and twirls her around, smiling and squealing happily. "Now they'll never take you from me. They'll never get us apart."

"Can you see that Alice?"

"Yes, I just saw them show up, ask about the battle, get a look at the six of us newly mated ones and leave, tails between their legs, sad and depressed that they lost out on what might be the last Silverbloods on the planet!"

Opal and Jasper

"Why are you nervous?" Opal asks, feeling Jasper's emotions rolling off him in waves.

"I'm nervous because I don't want to bite you. I don't want to be one of so many who have taken your life essence from you, to sustain their own existences."

"You're not in the lot with them, Jasper. Because you love me. And I love you. That alone sets us apart from so many others, human and non human alike. I told you when we first made love that you were welcome to bite me. Since then I've wanted you to. It has nothing to do with feeding, it has to do with sharing something with you that I've never been able to share with anyone before. My love and my life's essence."

"Tanya said my eyes will be different," he says.

"Yeah, I don't know what that's about. I guess mine will be, too. But we'll find out together. And tomorrow, we'll see if the others were successful." He nods and pulls her close to him. She knots her fingers into his silky golden curls and presses her lips to his. His fingers trail up and down her sides caressing her through her clothes. On his next pass up her hips, he grabs the hem of her shirt and pulls upwards. Opal sticks her arms straight up to aid in his removal of her shirt. She follows suit by grabbing his shirt and pulling it up over his head, throwing it with hers in the corner of the room. As she trails her fingers down his chiseled torso, he deftly undoes the clasp on her bra with one hand, freeing her ample bosom from the confines of the underwire and lace covered satin. She pulls herself close to him, their bare torsos pressed together.

"God, you're so beautiful, Opal," he whispers as his fingers comb through her soft locks. He leads her to the bed and lays her down, intending to take his time. This particular session seems to be a means to an end, but Jasper doesn't want any of their love making to seem meaningless. Yes, he wants to mark her as his, tell the world that she belongs to him, and he to her, but he resisted based on her history. Her skin had been marred by the teeth of countless vampires using her as a feeding source, and an object to satisfy their own sexual needs. Not a one of them cared a lick about her, and even though he's told her countless times that he loves her, he doesn't want to risk her associating anything he does with anything those heathens did. He half wishes Edward could read her mind, so he could call up the faces of every vampire that dared defile her. Jasper would hunt them down and rip them apart.

"Where are you?" Opal asks, pulling him out of his musings. "There you are," she adds. "You left for a while. Where'd you go?"

"Nowhere important," he replies. "I'm sorry I let myself get distracted." He nuzzles her neck, inhaling her glorious scent.

"Jasper, as much as I'd love to lie here wrapped up in you forever, the Volturi are on their way. And I can't help but worry about them taking me from you or killing you to get me. The sooner we ensure that we're mates, the sooner I can spend the rest of my existence ravishing you."

"Well said ma'am," he replies. Ripping away her panties and his jeans, he aligns himself with her entrance. "Quick and dirty is the way you want it?" he asks as he presses himself into her, feeling her slick heat envelop him like a caress.

"Oh yes, Major. Just like that." He pumps into her faster and faster, clutching her to him, his hands splayed on her shoulder blades. She wraps her arms around his waist, holding him tightly to her as they move together. He picks up speed at her request, causing his own climax to come to the forefront rather quickly. "Jasper, I'm so close," she breathes. Taking that as his cue, he leans down, preparing to sink his teeth into the smooth flesh on the side of her neck.

"I love you Opal," he cries out just as he comes, biting into her flesh. She bites him back, at the juncture of the neck and shoulder. They drink each other's essence, connected intimately, and sharing with each other what no one else can ever share with either of them.

In the morning, Opal stirs, feeling Jasper's arms wrapped around her firmly. Always keeping her safe. "Good morning, mate of mine," he whispers as he presses soft kisses to her bare shoulder.

"Good morning," she replies. "Shall we see what all the fuss is about?" she asks. He nods against the back of her head and braces himself for whatever physical changes there may be. She turns toward him first noting that his arm looks different. "Jasper, your scars are gone!" she gasps. He looks down, staring agape at the smooth expanse of skin down his arm, that used to be littered with crescent shaped marks. He glances over at Opal's arm and sees that hers are gone too.

He reaches over, touching her smooth skin, showing her that she's changed too. "Is this what Tanya was talking about?" she asks as she traces over Jasper's now scarless torso with her now scarless hands. "That our scars would disappear?"

"Remember how she got all close to Bella and Beck and stared in their eyes? I think it's something with the eyes." Ever so slowly, they both gaze upwards, passing over the chest, neck, chin, lips and nose. Their eyes meet and they share a collective gasp.

"Silver," they chorus together. Opal reaches over Jasper to the side table where her purse is. She pulls out a compact to show Jasper his new eye color.

"Well go figure," he says, staring at his face. "The only scar I see is the one you gave me last night, and it looks different than a normal bite mark. Let me see yours." She turns her head to give him better access to her neck. "Yours looks different than the others did too, kind of silvery."

"Well that clears up the whole reason behind my namesake. Silverblood because everything turns silver, apparently," she notes.

"Shall we go see how the others did?"

"Yes," she replies, getting up in search of clothing. "I'm curious to see how Alice and Beck did, seeing as they had a bit of an obstacle. Or lack thereof, that is."

Jasper chuckles, pulling her back on the bed to hold her close to him for just a while longer. "I love you so much Opal. I can't tell you how happy it makes me for the only mark on my skin to be from the one that I love more than my own life."

"That makes two of us, mister," she replies, giving him a deep kiss. "Let's go see the family."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Opal PoV

We meet up with the family after the mating ritual is complete. Upon entering the room I can see that Bella and Beck both have the same silvery twinge in their eyes as I do. It looks a bit more shocking on them considering their eyes were dark brown before. Alice and Edward too have taken on the silver eyes. I smile as I greet them, giving each of them a hug. "You figured out how to disable the invisi-shield thingy, I see," Emmett interjects as he sees Jasper.

"Yeah, once we completed the mating bond, I guess it disappeared. It's nice to be able to see my own reflection again. I was beginning to feel like one of those mythical vampires," Jasper jokes. I see Edward smack Emmett up side the head.

"He was thinking about how Alice and Beck completed their bond. His mind was getting rather… imaginative." That earned him another smack from Alice, one from Rosalie, and finally one from Beck. If vampires could get bumps on their head, surely he'd have a quartet of them, or one really big one.

"Ouch! C'mon guys, I was just curious!" he defended.

"How long do we have until the Volturi arrive?" Jasper asks Alice.

"Only a few hours," she replies. "And I think we should just stay here and act as if we've no clue they're coming. If we wait for them, they'll know about my gift, but if we don't, and Aro doesn't touch anyone, they won't."

"Okay, so it's back to normal activity for us then?" Esme asks.

"As if there is such a thing," Edward and I chorus in unison.

"Before we do that, I have something important to do," Jasper says, projecting fear for the first time, probably in history. Behind him, Alice is bouncing from foot to foot, excited and happy about something. I turn to him, and both his hands are in his pockets, he's averting his gaze downward, and seems shy. I touch his arm to get his attention, and he meets my eyes, his own full of love and devotion.

He steps away from me for a moment, turns around, and when he comes back, he's dropped to one knee and is holding a small black velvet box in his hand. My hand flies to my mouth in shock. "Opal, so like the gem you were named for, you have brought rays of color and sunshine into my dreary existence. You've made me truly happy for the first time I can remember. You've wormed your way into the hearts of everyone in this family, and you complete us all in a way we never imagined. As far as my heart, it's as if you've taken it from my chest, and molded it with your own. I never knew someone could ever love me the way you do, and the way I hope you always will. I know we were engaged as humans, but I'd like to ask you once again. Opal Maxwell, will you marry me?"

"A thousand times, yes!" I reply, throwing my arms around him. He nearly dropped the box when I launched myself at him, but he's laughing and smiling and projecting utter joy at every one in the room. Everyone erupts in a fit of giggles and is embraced tightly in their mates' arms. Eventually, the mood in the room calms enough that Jasper can release me from his arms and place the ring on my finger. As I look at it, I see a beautiful marquis cut diamond that has more facets that I could begin to count. It's sandwiched between an Opal and a Jasper stone, unifying us for all eternity. The simple braided platinum band weaves through and around the gems, connecting all three together.

"This is perfect Jasper," I whisper to him. "I love you forever."

"Ditto," he replies, grinning like a fool. "You just made me the happiest vampire on the planet." Before long the wolves descend, so to speak, and everyone is pawing at me to get a look at my ring. "I know that it's tradition for you to pick out my band, but since I had this one custom made, I made a matching one for myself." He pulls another ring out of his pocket to show and it's got a similar braided band to mine, but instead of three large stones in the center, it has alternating opals and jaspers all the way around.

"It's perfect, just like you," I tell him. He beams again and pulls me into his arms. "I can't wait to be your wife." He hugs me tighter and tighter until we hear the tell tale sound of cracked ribs. He pushes me away to appraise me, and I place a finger to his lips before he can utter an apology. "There is no hugging me too tight, Jazz. You can't apologize for wanting to meld my body into yours." He smiles again and tells me how amazing I am. "Just keep saying that for next couple centuries and we'll be all good," I joke.

"They'll be here in a few minutes," Alice whispers a moment later. We all act as if we don't know that the entire Volturi, their wives, and the guard are about to ring the bell. No one knowing what to do, I decide to break the silence and pick on Emmett.

"Dammit, Emmett, I'll have your head on a platter if you cheat one more time!" I yell over a chess board at the big goon seated across it. I'd taken a moment to rearrange the pieces to look like we'd been playing a while.

"Aww, lil' sis, don't be like that."

"I'm older than you! Stop calling me little sis!"

"You know it's only because of your size, small fry," he taunts. I launch myself at him, tearing at his hair and trying to wrestle him to the ground.

"Opal! Emmett! Stop that! You'll break my antique chess set!" Esme scolds. A perfect scene, I decide. I wink at Emmett as he sets me on my feet.

Just then, the doorbell rings. Carlisle rises to answer it mumbling that he wasn't expecting any visitors today. "Aro? Marcus? Caius? My goodness! What a surprise!" I glance out the window and see a bunch of dark cloaked figures emerge from several cars.

"You didn't hear our approach?" Caius asks, his tone full of accusation.

"No, I'm sorry we didn't. Two of my children were engaged in a rather humorous quarrel and had our attention. Had I realized, I would have greeted you upon your arrival." Caius seemed placated. "Please do come in, everyone. I'm afraid we haven't enough seating for you all, but you're more than welcome in our home."

I try not to fidget as the three cloaked elite members of the Volturi cross the threshold. Aro's eyes immediately flit to mine, his gaze looking me over like I'm a piece of art. My skin crawls under his appraisal. Jasper stiffens at my side, but I squeeze his hand tighter, in a futile attempt to calm him. "Who is this entrancing creature?" he asks, extending his hand in greeting.

"My name is Opal Maxwell," I reply. "Soon to be Whitlock," I add.

"Whitlock? Is that your surname, soldier?" Aro asks the golden haired god at my side.

"Yes, that's Major Jasper Whitlock, sir," Jasper replies, emphasizing the word Major. I stifle an eye roll. Can we get the pissing contest over now, please?

I place my hand in Aro's outstretched one, and he immediately pulls me close to him to inhale my scent and presumably attempt to view my thoughts. Though I'm sure he's seeing nothing due to the glitch in my brain. His hands move over mine, and feel like papery granite against my skin. It makes me want to shrink away in disgust, but I remain poised. "Fascinating," he says cryptically. "And I take it, based on the color of your eyes and his that you are a Silverblood and he is your mate?"

"You are correct," I reply. Aro drops my hand unceremoniously and moves further into the room. His eyes are crestfallen as he takes in Bella, Beck, and their mates.

"Might I ask, Carlisle, how it is that you came upon so many Silverbloods?" Caius asks.

"I didn't _come upon_ any of them," Carlisle retorts. "Opal and Jasper knew each other when they were both human, and have just been reunited after a century and a half of being apart. "Bella and Beck joined the family when they fell in love with two of my children. They were enrolled in the same high school."

Caius scoffs at Carlisle's words. "And what are the odds, do you think, Carlisle that not only would three of your 'children' as you call them find mates in Silverbloods but that they would complete the mating bond before we arrived?" I'm reaching the breaking point of my patience with him, and reach out to Jasper for some calm, but he's so wired up he can't provide it.

"Purely a coincidence, I assure you. Perhaps you were made aware of a vampire named Victoria who created an army of newborns in Seattle? Surely the amount of missing persons and deaths alerted you to the situation. It's not so unlike what happened in the South. And perhaps you were also made aware that Maria, one of the prominent leaders in the Southern Vampire Wars was on her way here with a newborn army of her own? We'd heard of the mating ritual between vampires and Silverbloods, believing it to be a myth, but my children decided to try it anyway. Seeing as it worked, and we were able to defeat every single newborn and their creators without any loss on our side tells you that it was a good idea," Carlisle defends.

"No need to be on the defensive old friend," Aro says, putting his hands up. "We merely wish to collect the facts as they happened. We had heard of Victoria and Maria and their armies, which is why we came this way. We wanted to offer our assistance, but as it turns out, we were rendered useless." Jasper can tell he's lying and passes that on to me. Now I've had it.

"That is the biggest load of malarkey I've ever heard in my life," I spit. Aro is taken aback by my tone. "What you wish to 'collect' is vampires. Gifted ones. And you know this family is chock full of them. And you," I hiss, pointing at Caius, "are under the misunderstanding that Carlisle is greedy for power and wishes to overrule you. Just because we are a large coven does not mean we wish to rule over anyone or anything. In fact, all we want is to be left alone, allowed to live peacefully."

"You are not a vampire," Caius spits back.

"Thank you, captain obvious," I reply, sarcastically.

"Therefore, you cannot possibly know what lies in the minds of creatures like us."

"False," I respond. "I am a Silverblood. You know what that means. An unmated Silverblood is basically a walking, talking blood bag. Until just a few months ago, I was an unmated Silverblood for a century and a half. As Carlisle told you, Jasper and I were separated for that entire time. When he was turned by Maria, I was stolen by another vampire who'd realized what I was. I then spent the next hundred and fifty years being passed around from coven to coven. Some would use me as a bargaining chip, others would use me as a reward for their newborn soldiers when a battle was won. I endured these unspeakable horrors until my savior arrived." I break my gaze from Aro to look at the man I called my savior. He smiles reassuringly at me and tells me to continue.

"What you fail to see is that this coven and the one from Denali are not like yours. In fact, you really cannot use the term 'coven.' They are families. They do not feed from humans. I've been surrounded for a century and a half by vampires who do feed from humans. They way they act, the way they regard each other, the way they treat me is entirely dependent on their diet. They live for the next meal. Even when feeding from me, they cannot wait until they can sink their teeth in me again. Their entire existence is ruled by blood. And you know that to be true.

"These vampires are not like that. From what I've gathered animal blood is not delicious; they do not crave it. It satisfies them, curbs the appetite, and enables them to live a more human-esque life. They are able to congregate in large groups and not feel the desire to fight one another. They are not ruled by the bloodlust like other vampires are. Feeding from vampires tapers off the bloodlust and allows other emotions to come through, such as love, compassion, and kindness.

"I've been on this planet for nearly a hundred and seventy-five years, which I know is a mere blip compared to your millennia, but still I've seen a thing or two. I've seen large covens that are greedy for power, and I've seen you take them down. Eliminate them based on their greed. But you always had evidence. Evidence that what they wanted was to overthrow the Volturi and take over as supreme rulers. What evidence do you have that this coven wants that? Hmm?" I wait. None of them respond. "Cat got your tongue? Or do you have none? That must be it.

"There is no evidence that anyone here wishes to rule over anything. We are many, yes, but we love each other; we're not together out of convenience or a like-minded goal. We are together because we love each other; we want to be with our family, spend time together, make memories. You heard Carlisle refer to some of us as his children. When I first heard him use the term, I was confused. I'd never heard of that term used to refer to the vampires that one created before. But even those of us that he did not create, the ones that just showed up wanting to join in have been welcomed with open arms. I've been here for only a short while, and I already consider him a father figure. And Esme a mother figure. None of the vampires that I've ever been near before ever treated me like that.

"One look at these _people _and you can see that. As the newest member of this family, I can tell you in all certainty that what you think of them is not how they are. You expect all vampires to act like vampires, yet they do not. As such, they hardly even qualify as vampires, since they do not follow the norms. Please, leave us be. Let us live in peace. I'd like to be married to this man for a good many centuries, and be happy."

I finish my speech and sit down, not bothering to follow protocol and remain standing while we await their response. I couldn't care less at this point. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the three of them turn towards each other, both Caius and Marcus touching Aro's hands. This must be their way of silently communicating with each other. I shoot a glance at Edward, who can read all their minds from a distance, to see if he can tell their decision. He looks at me for a moment and lets one side of his lips turn up ever-so-slightly. The simultaneous squeeze of my hand from Jasper tells me all I need to know. We're going to get out of this okay.

"Dear ones," Aro addresses us. "We apologize if our arrival has given you false assumptions. We do not wish to collect any of you, nor do we wish to eliminate you. You are not a threat to our regime, and we are not kings. We merely uphold the laws by which all vampires are bound. If any of you ever decide this way of life is not the way you choose, we would be happy to give any one of you a place in our guard. You would be a cherished member for all time to come." He waits to see if anyone steps forward, though I imagine he suspects no one will. "Very well, the invitation is open, should anyone ever change his or her mind. Until next time, Cullens."

And they leave as quickly as they arrived. Rushing down the driveway to their cars as if the four horsemen of the apocalypse are after them. We all stay silent and still for a few minutes until we're certain that the trio and all their minions are long gone. We all let out a collective sigh once Edward signals that there are no mental signatures in his range.

"Opal, you are amazing, crazy, and downright awesome!" Emmett hoots as he picks me up and twirls me around.

"He's right, my dear," Carlisle adds. "Thank you for stepping up and telling Caius what's what. He's always had an issue with me and my way of life, thinking I'm trying to spread some kind of vampire plague or something. But the fact that you mentioned that several have joined the coven of their own volition placated him, I think. How did it go, do you think, Edward?"

"Well, for one, I'm glad that you haven't touched Aro since creating me, so he had no idea of my gift, and he let his mind race with all his desires. He wanted the Silverbloods at first, but when he realized they were all mated, his desires changed. He knew that Alice, Jasper and I were the gifted ones, though he didn't know what gifts we possessed. He thought that if he could convince the three of us and our mates to go with him that the rest of the family would follow. Which I'm sure you all would, but either way, none of us want that life.

"Caius was seething the entire time. Especially when Opal was giving her speech, which was worthy of an Oscar or something, I swear. You should go into politics," he tells me. I giggle at his remark. "He's the one that saw our family as a threat to their power. He thinks that if more vampires convert to our way of life that they won't have anyone to rule over. And he thought that our numbers were a threat, too. We all know that so many vampires living together is unheard of. And even the three of them, though they've been together for who knows how many millennia, have their arguments. None of them truly love each other, though they call themselves brothers. They tolerate the others' existence, but deep down, it's more convenience than anything that keeps them together. And Chelsea helps with that, too.

"Marcus couldn't care either way how things went. He was just glad to get out of the castle for a short while. He could sense that our familial bond was very strong, stronger than he'd ever seen. Even stronger than some mated vampire pairs he's seen throughout his time. When they were conferring together, Marcus made sure to show Aro the strength of our bond. He told him that the mated couples have the strongest mating bonds he's seen since himself and Didyme. That was what gave Aro pause. He knew that there was no breaking a Silverblood from his or her mate, but now he knows that we are a family. Not even Chelsea could weaken the ties we have to each other."


	16. Epilogue

Epilogue - thank you so much everyone for reading this story and for the reviews!

* * *

Jasper PoV

"Now that that's done," Emmett says. "How did you guys turn off that bubble thing again?"

"I don't think we really made a conscious decision about it," I tell him. "When we woke up this morning after completing our mating ritual, it wasn't there. I imagine the ritual itself has something to do with it. Maybe after a while, we can work on conjuring it up at will or something, but I don't see any reason for us to have to be hidden like that anymore. Do you, darlin'?" I ask Opal.

"No, I don't see a reason for it," she agrees. "It was monumentally convenient during the battle, but now… aside from the occasional prank, I don't see its usefulness."

Eleazer disagrees, and thinks we should go to work on it straight away. Opal and I have to argue with him for quite sometime before he relents and agrees to let us work on it on our own time.

The feeling of not being threatened by anything at the moment is odd. Everyone in the room feels like they don't know what to do with themselves. Going back to a normal routine seems odd. Going back to school seems even more odd. Especially when five of the resident students have had a drastic change in their eye color. Someone is bound to notice that.

It feels as though a year has passed in the span of only a few weeks. Thanksgiving came and went without us really even realizing it. Christmas is around the corner, though, perhaps that knowledge will lift everyone's spirits.

"I think it's time we move," Alice suggests. "We've been here long enough. The population is bound to notice the difference in Bella and Beck's appearance, if not the rest of us. It's best we get out while we can."

"Agreed," Edward adds. "How are we going to notify Chief Swan, though?"

"I have here, an early admission letter from Dartmouth," Beck replies, pulling an envelop out of her backpack that had been by the door. "It suggests that we begin college in January rather than waiting for the fall semester. Bella has one, too."

"And just when were you planning on telling us that you got your letters to Dartmouth?" Edward asks Bella and Beck.

"Now," they chorus in unison, shrugging. "It's not like we had a lot of opportunity to talk about it recently. Other things took precedence in the past few weeks," Bella adds.

And with that, they set about breaking the news to Charlie that they'll be moving out east as of the new year, the lot of us following. As far as he knows, Edward and Alice will also be attending Dartmouth, while the rest of us will either work or attend schools nearby. "We do things as a family," Carlisle explains to the chief.

We busy ourselves with packing up, intent to celebrate Christmas and the new year in our new home in Dartmouth. Esme has been there since we decided to move. She procured a large piece of land not far from the school, and is in the process of renovating the existing house on the property. Emmett, Rosalie, Opal and I follow behind her a few days later, to help with the construction.

When vampire speed and strength is involved, entire houses can be constructed in mere days. By the 20th of December, we've finished the renovations of the house, adding four bedrooms and bathrooms, two guest houses and a full on game room in the basement. Emmett spent a large amount of time perfecting the sound system down there.

Emmett and I go out for a quick hunt and when we return, the rest of the family is there and the entire house has been turned into a Christmas paradise. The huge Christmas tree that Emmett felled has been adorned with thousands of twinklelights, garland, and ornaments. Beneath it is a mountain of gifts.

Alice plays Santa's elf, complete with fake pointy ears and passes out all the gifts. One of the gifts for me is a gigantic box, likely the one that housed the new refrigerator. It's from Opal according to the tag. What on earth did she get me that fits in this huge box?

We go around the room, each opening one gift at a time; I've been instructed to save the giant gift for last, despite my endless protests. Finally, the mountain of wrapped presents has become a mountain of wrapping paper, ribbon and bows, and the gifts have all been opened. All but one.

"Okay Jasper," Opal says. "Just wait a couple more minutes, then you can open the gift." She disappears from my sight and up the stairs.

"Where is she going?" I ask.

"She'll be right back," Esme assures me. "She left something upstairs that she needs as part of this gift." I feel like I should have been putting the pieces together here, but it's still a complete mystery. I sit completely still while I wait for Opal to return.

Emmett steps over to me lifts me up, chair and all and angles me so I'm facing the giant box head on. Then his hands come up and hold my head like a vice, ensuring that I don't turn my head at all. As if by magic, the box opens and a strangely familiar vampire is standing there.

He's wearing all black, holding a bible and has a white clerical collar at his throat. "Garrett?" I ask.

"That's _Reverend_ Garrett," he replies. "And I hear there's a wedding happening here."

"What?" I yell. Emmett releases my head and I turn immediately to the sound of Opal's heart beat right behind me.

"I thought we'd get married on Christmas. What do you say?" she asks. As I gaze at her I see she's wearing a white dress. It has long satin sleeves with lace ruffles at the wrists. The corseted bodice comes to a v between her hips and is lined with pearls. The skirt is made with pleated satin and fringe with a long train behind it. The back is gathered and tucked under a bustle.

"You thought… you look amazing," I tell her.

"Thank you. And you haven't answered my question. Want to get married today?" she asks, uncertaintly and a bit of fear coming off of her. This snaps me out of my stupor.

"Do I want to marry you today? Of course I do!" I exclaim. I pick her up and twirl her around the room, not caring who is in our way. Luckily everyone ducks out before any collisions happen.

"Then let's get this show on the road!" Garrett states, stepping out of the box and into the living room. In the next moment, Alice, Rosalie, Bella and Beck are lined up on Garrett's right, Emmett, Edward and Carlisle on his left. The bridal party.

"Let's give each other to each other," Opal says. Music is cued from somewhere, and we walk down the makeshift aisle towards Garrett and our future together.

The End.


End file.
